flyscot's Profile
What's new?
Thanks for all the replies so far. Very helpful all, especially Dining Diva wth whom I'm pretty sure I corresponded on these pages five years ago. And to daantaat, almot as soon as I made the original post, I saw the abundance of advice on La Jolla places.
As to Coffee Cup in LJ, it seems to be part of Isabel's modest chain which has an even closer (to where we're staying) place in Pacific Beach.
Thanks again and Happy New Year. dmm
What's new?
Last visited San Diego in March 2007, and ate very well at Third Corner, Antica Trattoria, Cafe Chloe and Terra. About Arrivederci, the less said the better.
Are the first four that I named still worthy of a visit? They do all still seem to be in business. As well, we're going to be in Pacific Beach this time, and any recommendations in La Jolla would be appreciated. We know that breakfast at the Cottage is well worth a visit.
Thanks in advance, dmm
Caffe Italia (Albany)?
Found this place last year; it truly is a family trattoria. The prices seemed reasonable to my wife and me. The food was ample and delicious, and the Caffe, fairly crowded the night we were there, was not unduly noisy. All the political stuff on the walls adds a certain interest, but it's the food that matters, isn't it.
Rather limited wine list, but good value there. Hope to visit the week after next.
Weekend in Camden, Maine
I'm late to this, having just decided to re-visit Rockland next month. To my mind Owlman lucked out, substituting Lily for Primo. At least in 2008, my wife and I found Primo pretentious and pricey and with a level of service that was dismal. But Natalie's was superb, as was Prism Glass Gallery Cafe, between Rockland and Camden village. I think this time we'll add Lily's or Francine, and give Primo the elbow.
dmm
Dinner at the Hall of Fame, Springfield MA
Any comments about Pazzo or Max's, which both seem to be part of the H of F complex?
Any decent alternatives within walking distance on a Sunday evening, mid-October?
I'd appreciate any help, thanks.
dmm
WINDSOR, ON
Any current suggestions, please. Here for two nights, and remember one good Italian place (but not the name) near the Casino.
That place, or other recommendations would be appreciated.
Good Italian in Statesville N.C.
On our way south in mid-April, decided to overnight in Statesville, before taking on the Charlotte traffic (!).
Not much recent on Chowhound about this little place, but one (old) reference was Mayo's Ristorante on North Center St, about a mile west of the Interstate. A little quiet, early on a Friday evening, but excellent Italian food, amiable service, fair wine list, fairly priced, and the owner on deck to chat.
Any hounds on the road could do much worse in this part of Carolina. Enjoy.
Savannah Lunch..not necessarily seafood
Any recs along these lines ? My wife loves seafood, but I don't eat it all. And the random searches so far have led me to some principally fishy places. And I don't particularly seek a quintessentially "Savannah" experience; just a good lunch.
Thanks for any direction.
Two recent dinners..
Oops. My bad; I'm not as young as I used to be... but the food was wonderful. Thanks for the correction.
Two recent dinners..
A long overdue trip to New York a few days ago gave my wife and me the chance to sample two restaurants.
The first was La Boite en Bois, on W 68th. It's well known to many hounds, I'm sure, and we picked it for its menu, its proximity to the Metropolitan Opera, and its diner friendly pre-theatre prix fixe.
Excellent food, expertly served in a room about the width of a dining car, and a rather short, but well selected wine list. In all, well worth the research the lady did to get us there. 8.5/10
The next night was Acapella, at the corner of Chestnut and Hudson. Here, the Northern Italian food is outstanding, the wine list imposing, the service friendly and attentive, and a general air of conviviality that's very infectious.
So in both cases we were well fed and well satisfied 9/10
Good eating on Manhattan!
Capo's closed; what now? and Banff..
By way of follow-up, we had our visit to Calgary, and Banff, and ate just fine.
The first night we were able to walk to Murietta's from our hotel and had an excellent dinner, well presented with good service. Not too busy for a Friday night; nice jazz piano accompaniment. Sunday, we went to River Cafe for a brunch the day after a family wedding. The setting is lovely, and for many, the food very acceptable, although our host/hostess were disapponted in the dishes. They were fine, just not outstanding, but a family member was late, which may have messd up the timing.
In Banff, again, being able to walk to the restaurant influenced us the first night. We went to Cilantro, on the grounds of the Buffalo Mountain Lodge. A great selection of pizzas and other dishes; somewhat limited wine list. A very small restaurant; we felt lucky to get in. The next day, a successful lunch in the old CPR station in Lake Louise
Later in the week we had a good enough meal at Fuze, about which we'd read some disquieting stories of difficulty.Business was steady, if not brisk, on a Tuesday, but the construction on Banff Ave can't be helping anyone. Superb tomato soup with a pesto garnish, preceded an outstanding tenderloin with foie gras atop, and what seemed not quite as successful a New York strip, too highly spiced to marry successfully with wine. Not smart. Restaurants do like to sell wine, don't they ? And pretty indifferent coffee.
The outdoor patio and menu at Bison pleased everyone for lunch the next day.
On our way to the airport on our last day, my wife and I happened on Gnocchi's at the south end of downtown Calgary for a long lunch... this was a find; a beautiful room, nice wine list, good soup and superb risotto, seafood for madame and sausage for me. And wonderful cappucino/latte. Fuze, take note.
Thanks to all for their suggestions. It sure does help to orient one in a new place.
Capo's closed; what now? and Banff..
Thanks to both Egon and Beks; I've also heard good things about Murietta's, and the Wine Spec mentions Bonterra. Any comments on those please? My brother's hosting a brunch at River Cafe, which is well regarded, I hear. Thanks again for any more info.
Capo's closed; what now? and Banff..
I'm upset that Capo's on its annual shut down while we'll be in Calgary. I've had a recommendation for Rouge; any comments or alternatives?
As well, will be in Banff four nights. Any ideas?
Thanks for any replies.
Visiting from England and need recommendations
The last couple of Octobers, we've visited Tarpy's Roadhouse, near the Monterey Airport.
Great food and service, moderate prices, fine selection, steak, lamb seafood. Good spot
Recent San Diego
In February, I sought recommendations, and I thank those who replied. I also made a"general" search of posts for San Diego, which also were very helpful. The following are my impressions of the places we actually visited in the first week of March.
THE THIRD CORNER. This place is in Ocean Beach(?) where the Belgian Lion was previously. A wonderful concept, not entirely unique I gather, but new to my wife and me. A retail wine store with a very eclectic collection, and a really good bistro. We liked it so much we re-visited the place the night before we flew back east. Small salads, one of smoked duck breast and greens and somw imaginative cheese dishes. A soupe du jour, and good desserts. Buy a bottle of wine, and the corckage is five bucks. Excellent.
ANTICA TRATTORIA. This place is in La Mesa, in a strip mall on Lake Murray Blvd. The first surprise is the room, surprisingly high-ceilinged for its location, and therefore with a very spacious feel. And the food; classic Italian, absolutely superb veal piccata, and chop, with a carpaccio - like starter. All really good and well presented. Wine list modest but adequate.
PIZZA NOVA Yes, I know it's a chain, but the location on Harbor Drive is great, the service is efficient and friendly, the menu is not just pizza and the view over the yacht harbour is fine. Close to our hotel, and the price was right.
TERRA in Hillcrest also had a "right" price.. it was a Tuesday, and all bottled wines (from an extensive list) were half price. So bring on the Montrachet ! The food was very good also, if too much to finish. Brie and potato quesedilla, followed by steak on black beans with a spinach and cheese side for madame, lobster bisque (excellent) and sea bass, regrettably a bit overcooked. Service attentive, parking a bit difficult. Good restaurant.
CHLOE CAFE Nice downtown place, with quite good food and a fair wine list. Service friendly again. One outstanding dish for my spouse was lobster served as a vol-au-vent. Plenty of meat too. Another success.
ARRIVEDERCI Back to Hillcrest to this very popular spot. Noisy and only fair service. Wine misdescribed (and priced for the misdescription, not nice) and grain-fed veal misrepresented as milk-fed. I disapprove of that nonsense. For what it was, the veal was good, and the (alternate) wine was fine. But we won't go back.
But San Diego restaurants treated us very well indeed on the whole. Breakfasts alfresco in La Jolla at the Cottage were also good fun. We saw Tapinade, almost next door. Maybe next time. They really should hang a menu in the window.
Thanks for your posts. Hope this helps other visitors. Ciao, Hounds
Looking for good italian in San Diego
On the strength of these posts, ate at Trattoria Antica last night. I thought it was really excellent. Friendly, efficient service, a fair wine list (from which we enjoyed an excellent "Super Tuscan") and both my wife and I had just superb veal. Mine was a stuffed chop. Talk about gilding the lily ! From Shelter Island it took only about 20 minutes on the freeway. Worth a detour, for sure.
dmm
Recent San Diego/La Jolla recommendations ?
11 years ago, my wife and I visited San Diego; we've been there twice, and another time to La Jolla.
We enjoyed, in no particular order, Dobson's, Chez Loma Coronada, Belgian Lion, Top of the Cove; any comments on the current state of these, or other recommendations.
Traveling next Saturday, Mar. 3, and staying for a week.
Much obliged for any help.
good eats in Monterey?
From a very recent trip to Carmel, here are some observations.
CARMEL BISTRO GIOVANNI, on San Carlos, just excellent. A salad with cherries, walnut and raspberry vinaigrette, followed by a vegitarian ravioli, and for myself, excellent carpaccio followed by lamb ravioli. The pasta was outstanding in each case.
TARPY'S ROADHOUSE (near the Monterey airport); again I'm impressed that such a large and obviously successful place can achieve high levels of service and food. My wife had swordfish, loved it. I get stick from my kids about all the lamb I eat, so I'll gloss over that. Both were great.
LA GIOSTRA, Munras Ave in Monterey. I read about this in a recent Chowhound post, so we went there. Its Wendy's roots are still showing a bit, and the ambience was more Spanish than Tuscan....but the food was outstanding. A seafood risotto for the lady, and I had a Tuscan steak. Modest but good enough winelist.Good fun.
ROBERT'S WHITE HOUSE in Pacific Grove. This place didn't quite come off for us. There was a slight feeling of being rushed, and although the food (and wine) was good, it was not quite comme il faut...hard to say why.
GRASING'S Carmel, Ocean Ave. Had a great lunch here on the patio. My wife had ahi, and I an Angus burger. Friendly, professional service. In fact everywhere we ate offered friendly, professional service.
And if you enjoy the pipes, the scene at ROY'S in the Inn at Spanish Bay at sunset is not to be missed. The drinks are bloody expensive, but sitting around a firepit, and meeting, very casually, people from all over the place, is very nice indeed. A lament over the sandtraps, or a reel in front of the hotel is very atmospheric indeed,
Regrettably, TASTE BISTRO in Pacific Grove was closed for a short break. Too bad; maybe next year.......
I hope some of these reminiscences help.
Recs for Monterey - nothing trendy, please
La Giostra it is! Many thanks; the boss lady and I will try it next week
Recs for Monterey - nothing trendy, please
I entirely agree with the kind mentions of Tarpy's out near the airport, and Taste in Pacific Grove.
But a while ago I read a vey complimentary review of an Italian place, I think on Munras Ave., and I think not far from the Del Monte shopping centre. Some guidance please.
Quick Review-Tarpy's, Rio Grill, Stokes, and Luca
Great to read the review of Luca, as we'll be in Carmel next week, and have just heard about this new place. We'll give it a try. Liked Tarpy's very much last year; it's a deceptive place..huge parking area, big building, but surprisingly small and intimate rooms are availabe.
Share your opinion about Rio Grill, which my wife and I, and maybe a son tried fifteen or so years ago, and liked. Two years ago, not so much. Would not return.
Best Blowout Lunch
My wife and I will be in SFO the week of October 23. Last year had lunch at the CP Cafe and loved it. Will repeat this year, as long as we can get in on short notice (should not be impossible, at least early in the week). ace1317 could go there twice on his budget.
Heard many good things about Bouchon, but also really enjoy Bistro Jeanty in Yountville.
