araknd's Profile
Looking for Central Coast/Wine Country/Northern CA honeymoon recommendations
A couple of places come to mind that might work for you. In Carmel, the Highlands Inn is a spectacular property. The hotel has changed hands several times since I last stayed there, but it is still a great place to stay. The restaurant used to be rated highly, but as I said, it has been a few years since I was there last. You do have access to several good to great restaurants in Carmel.
The other place I would recommend you look at is in Calistoga, the Cottage Grove Inn. They have individual cottages that are fully appointed. No restaurant on premises, but close to many in the Napa Valley. French Laundry might be reaching a bit for this trip, but you can get the same quality food at Ad Hoc or Bouchon, which are both owned by Thomas Keller and are just down the street from FL.
http://highlandsinn.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-highlandsinn/
http://cottagegroveinn.com/index.html
Around the World in 80 Plates [Split from Top Chef thread]
Definitely a clown. I didn't like him in the show and now that I have read his "bio" I like him even less. What drivel.
Temecula wineries: good wine, nice setting, and family-friendly? Is this possible?
+1 for Hart, but I agree with him about the other Rancho California Rd. wineries, especially Wilson and Callaway. I think that the proximity to LA and Riverside brings the rowdies, where Napa and Sonoma don't necessarily cater to that type of crowd.
Escondido / San Marcos
Cenote Grill in Escondido. +1 for Hacienda de Vega. Vinz on Grand for great selection of wine and food. Tango for sit down lunch and dinner with excellent wine list. IMHO, Stone is good for the beer but the food leaves a lot to be desired, your mileage may vary. Tacos Alex in San Marcos.
http://www.cenotegrill.com/
http://www.tangoongrand.com/
http://vinzwinebar.net/
Temecula Dining - Any Cuisine/Any Budget/No Restrictions
For Italian cuisine, highly recommend Gourmet Italia -http://www.gourmetitaliarestaurants.com/
Winery restaurant - Carol's at Baily Winery - http://www.bailywinery.com/Restaurant.aspx
Old Town dining - Baily's - http://www.oldtowndining.com/
I am not associated with Baily Winery in any way, other than I've eaten at each of their restaurants and like the food and the wine.
Article on Mobile Foodie Nation
Why the "new" food truck craze has scored with fresh, local ingredients and tasty prepared food.
http://californiabountiful.com/features/article.aspx?arID=959
If you had 1 meal in Palm Springs/Pam Desert, it would be at...
I would do "old school" Palm Springs at Le Vellauris (http://www.levallauris.com/). There is something comforting to my wife and I to walk into a restaurant where they still have tableside service, white table cloths and excellent service. Don't get me wrong, you will have to pay for the privilege, but it's worth the time and expense.
Food trucks in SD...where are they?
Opera Patisserie and Cafe went the other way and they have a truck in addition to their two fixed locations.
Dim Sum - Emerald, Jasmine, China (something) Or...
Actually, the owners are the same as Emerald, not Jasmine. BTW, Jasmine owners used to have Jasmine Bistro in El Cajon, but that recently closed its doors.
Food trucks in SD...where are they?
Yes. They bring a variety of cuisines to the culinary wastelands of the corporate office malls where the best you can do is maybe get a decent turkey sandwich. The problem is that when I'm in the mood for something, the truck might be some distance from here and won't be back around for another week. :-( Generally speaking (I have not eaten at all of the trucks), the food is all prepped and cooked fresh to order and prices are usually commensurate with their non-mobile competition.
SAN DIEGO KOSHER RESTURANTS
I'm not Jewish so I'm not sure if they are truly Kosher, but Elijah's in the La Jolla towne center area says that they are kosher and their menu reflects that.
http://www.elijahsrestaurant.com/elijahs_restaurant.html
Dim Sum - Emerald, Jasmine, China (something) Or...
+1 for Pearl. We used to go to Jasmine alot back in the '90s, and even had our wedding reception there, but the dim sum is average at best. Highly recommend Pearl. RB is not that far to go, unless, of course, you are coming from Chula Vista or National City. :-)
Food trucks in SD...where are they?
I don't think that it's over, at least here in the Sorrento Valley/Mira Mesa area. If you look at http://sdfoodtrucks.com/food-truck-lunch-locations-228/ or follow them on Twitter, you will see that there are a lot of them covering the area here as well as downtown and as far as Carlsbad. Many of them have regular place that one can find them, depending on the day of the week. Quite a variety of cuisines. Mangiamangiamobile stops two buildings down from where I work every Thursday, and I love the selections.
Top Chef to Expand Even More
This story was posted on the Hollywood Reporter. Written during the Season 9 Finale:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/top-chef-texas-finale-padma-lakshmi-tom-colicchio-291913
Latest Changes in the Restaurant Scene in San Diego
Courtesy of the new Union Tribune -- http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jan/19/rising-chefs-stars/
Need a rec for Italian (and maybe others...) for 3rd trip to Vegas
We have only been there once, but my wife and I loved Scott Conant's Scarpetta at the Cosmopolitan. The food was excellent, the service was among the best we have had and the view of the fountains at Bellagio were an added plus!
Eats in and around Julian?
If you get to Temecula again, check out Joe Hart's Hart Family Winery. Joe is a long time Alfisti and does some fine reds.
Eats in and around Julian?
Hey Will, are you going to be driving an Alfa up to Julian? Great roads from I-15 up the mountain.
IMHO, the best pie is at the Julian Pie Company.
Jeremy's seems like the best place to go for a "quality" meal. If you are interested in visiting a local winery in Julian, I highly recommend Menghini Winery just west of town. The San Diego Alfa Club goes up annually for the Grape Stomp and the winery always does a great job with their wine and the festival. http://menghiniwinery.com/
Enjoy!
Yahoo Article on the Brothers Voltaggio
Nice fluff piece on what they are doing now and the effect that Top Chef has had on them since appearing on the show.
http://news.yahoo.com/voltaggio-brothers-different-routes-same-path-163950740.html
Moving to North County, need restaurant recommendations
If you are willing to go to Escondido for some of the other restaurants, you might want to try Tango on Grand Ave. http://tangoongrand.com/. They haven't gotten a lot of love here, but we like it for the wine list at decent prices and the menu. We have always had excellent service from Ethan and Xavier.
Central Coast- Need help with wineries... which ones am I missing out on?
On the eastside, try Clautiere and down in Creston on the east side, Chateau Margene. These two have done some very nice Cabernet Sauvignon from estate grapes. Chateau Margene also has done a very nice Sangiovese.
Central Coast- Need help with wineries... which ones am I missing out on?
+1 for the Far Out Wineries and a shout out for Nadeau Family on Peachy Canyon Rd. Robert has been a consulting winemaker for many of the pioneering wineries in Paso and he makes a little of everything at his family vineyard. Worth the trip out there.
First time traveler to san diego in need of help
Just a quick note to griller88, Legoland is about 25 miles north of your hotel in SD in the "North County". There is a world of difference in eating establishments. San Diego city is very widespread, north to south with many different "communities", which makes for a diverse culinary experience. If you can refine what you are looking for a bit more, you might get more specific recommendations. Enjoy your stay in "America's Finest City".
Are there any CH worthy places in Palm Springs?
Have fun and be sure to report back where you went and how it was.
Are there any CH worthy places in Palm Springs?
My wife and I favor Le Vallauris in Palm Springs proper. It is very "old school" Palm Springs with white linen service tableside, etc.
Check out this thread for other suggestions -- http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/446201
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Le Vallauris
385 W Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Delmonico Steakhouse Las Vegas - any good?
My wife and I dined there in August on the first night of the family trip. I have eaten at Emeril's Delmonico's in NOLA and thought that LV was at least as good. The service was excellent and the steaks were prepared to perfection. The only negative that I could say was that at the height of service, it was a bit loud in the room where we were seated, but obviously it depends on the crowd and the time you will be there. I would say, give it a try, you could do a lot worse.
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Emeril's
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Top Chef Texas - Ep. #3 - 11/16/11 (Spoilers)
LOL. I don't mind the eight legged critters, but that's not a subject for this forum as I'm into cars with two seats and drop tops.
Top Chef Texas - Ep. #3 - 11/16/11 (Spoilers)
Just read through Hugh's blog http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-9/blogs/hugh-acheson/dazed-and-confused?page=0,0. Beverly was on the Green team that won, so that's how her version of fusion got through without comment (on screen at least).
Top Chef Texas - Ep. #3 - 11/16/11 (Spoilers)
Excuse me, but Taco Bell is NOT Mexican food by any stretch of the imagination.
No one has mentioned the fact that both Tom and Hugh both said at JT that they should not have used store bought tortillas in the first place. Tom said that they just didn't taste good. So one of the biggest errors the team made was buying instead of making the tortillas.
