What's the best meal you've ever had?

[Gothgar]

Bone in Rib from Delmonico's in Las Vegas, inside the Venetian

Sides were Twice Baked Potato and Asparagus

Desert was Emeril's Famous Banana Creme Pie

All with a house red wine that was amazing.

 

[Kyteland]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I never had the money to hit the Chicago steakhouses but Hot Doug's up on the north side has some of the best God damn sausages I've ever had. I'll plunk down for duck fat fries and four sausages whenever I stop by there.

You people need to quit clogging up the line at our hotdog place. I work across the street from Hot Doug's and haven't been there in over a year because I'm not willing to stand in line for over an hour for a hot dog.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: Kyteland

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I never had the money to hit the Chicago steakhouses but Hot Doug's up on the north side has some of the best God damn sausages I've ever had. I'll plunk down for duck fat fries and four sausages whenever I stop by there.

You people need to quit clogging up the line at our hotdog place. I work across the street from Hot Doug's and haven't been there in over a year because I'm not willing to stand in line for over an hour for a hot dog.

Choice. The line is pretty epic though. I recall that Midway Games had offices near them too. That would be an excellent job, except for the whole bankruptcy, but at least you would have Hot Doug's at arm's reach.

Man I miss Hot Doug's. The day I get back to Chicago I'm dragging anybody I can to hit up the place.

 

[Xstatic1]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Man I miss Hot Doug's. The day I get back to Chicago I'm dragging anybody I can to hit up the place.

is it better than Portillo's?

 

[broon]

Originally posted by: guyver01

Originally posted by: broon
Traildust Steakhouse in Denver for the best steak. This is most likely because I had been living on hamburger helper for over a year and finally had enough money to go out for a steak.

Fail.

Traildust is a franchise, like outback and such

you want a GOOD steak in Denver? Longhorn Exchange

Read the bolded part. If you live on cheap food long enough, when you finally get a NY Strip cooked medium rare that cuts with a fork...even if it's at a chain...it's going to be one of the best steaks you've ever had.

However, every time we went back we could never get a steak that good.

 

[Daverino]

Best meal I've ever had was at Per Se. If you've seen the ratatouille in the Pixar movie Ratatouille, you should know that you can order and eat it at Per Se. The chef created the dish for the movie.

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: guyver01

Originally posted by: broon
Traildust Steakhouse in Denver for the best steak. This is most likely because I had been living on hamburger helper for over a year and finally had enough money to go out for a steak.

Fail.

Traildust is a franchise, like outback and such

you want a GOOD steak in Denver? Longhorn Exchange

I disagree. We ate at Traildust and I did like the steak. Yep, a chain, but that is where you get consistancy. Bugaboo Creek and Longhorn's (the chain) do well on their specialties.

Ate at Amura in Lake Mary tonight. Still top notch. And they now do Kobe. Too $$ for us though ($93?)

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: scott
best as in most appreciated:
Any and I do mean any home cooked meal when I return home from a backpacking trip.

best as in best quality food, environment to mellow out with good friends or my loved SO:
Stonehouse Restaurant at San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito

Wow, you sound like one of the teachers I go on backpacking and kayaking trips with. Last trip was a 2-day trip. While he was content to splurge & actually carry the weight of a can of spam for dinner, I packed in filet mignon, a pound of bacon (bacon wrapped filets over a hot wood fire... MMMMMMmmmmmmmm), pancake mix & syrup for breakfast, with the leftover bacon (I forgot the eggs though to have eggs over easy too, damnit!), corn on the cob, soaked in the stream first, then cooked in the husk over embers from the fire (if you've never had corn on the cob cooked this way, you are really missing out.) For breakfast, he had his usual instant oatmeal.

The time, care, and effort I put into preparing dinner perfectly exceeds the normal amount of time I'm willing to spend cooking dinner at home. But, we were camping - it was a perfect activity to occupy some extra time. Oh, and don't forget the s'mores for dessert.

You told a story about food without mention pizza??? I am so disappointed.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: Xstatic1

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Man I miss Hot Doug's. The day I get back to Chicago I'm dragging anybody I can to hit up the place.

is it better than Portillo's?

Yeah. I mean Portillo's you go there for the hot dog, but everybody uses Vienna Beef (Hot dogs made of God's manna) so I usually am not too much of a snob on where I go to get hot dogs since most places can do a decent Chicago dog. Hot Doug's makes their own sausages (or at least gets custom sausages, I have a friend that claims to have discovered their sausage distributor). So in that respect, you won't find a place that serves sausages like Hot Doug's. Don't go there for hot dogs, go there for anything else that can be crammed into a bun.

http://hotdougs.com/menu.htm
http://hotdougs.com/specials.htm

The descriptions of the specials makes it sound haughty-toity but the food is anything but.

Edit: Kyteland is not exagerating about the line. It runs outside and around the corner of the building. The place is only open for a relatively short time during the day, has very little seating and even less room. Be prepared to wait 30-60 minutes outside in the open with little prospect of getting a table to eat at. And bring cash.

 

[Xstatic1]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire

Originally posted by: Xstatic1

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Man I miss Hot Doug's. The day I get back to Chicago I'm dragging anybody I can to hit up the place.

is it better than Portillo's?

Yeah. I mean Portillo's you go there for the hot dog, but everybody uses Vienna Beef (Hot dogs made of God's manna) so I usually am not too much of a snob on where I go to get hot dogs since most places can do a decent Chicago dog. Hot Doug's makes their own sausages (or at least gets custom sausages, I have a friend that claims to have discovered their sausage distributor). So in that respect, you won't find a place that serves sausages like Hot Doug's. Don't go there for hot dogs, go there for anything else that can be crammed into a bun.

http://hotdougs.com/menu.htm
http://hotdougs.com/specials.htm

The descriptions of the specials makes it sound haughty-toity but the food is anything but.

Edit: Kyteland is not exagerating about the line. It runs outside and around the corner of the building. The place is only open for a relatively short time during the day, has very little seating and even less room. Be prepared to wait 30-60 minutes outside in the open with little prospect of getting a table to eat at. And bring cash.

what's duck fat fries?

 

[ProfJohn]

I worked in the restaurant business for 10 years so I have sampled some pretty amazing stuff, but nothing on the level of world class stuff like Per Se and Bulli.

Favorites meals
Basil Tomatoes in Maui. http://www.restauranteur.com/basiltomatoes/index.htm
Beautiful place, went with a bunch of co-workers from the cruise ship. Ate a damn good lasagna while drinking from $80-100 bottles of wine. It was the company and atmosphere that made is special. I think we spent about $1400 for the 10 of us.

Whispering Canyon at Disney's Wilderness Lodge.
Disney does its food damn good (The stuff you get at the hotels, not the fast food stuff in the parks) and the meal at Whispering Canyon was the best 'home style' cooking I have ever had. Corn on the cob, chicken, wagon wheel bread, salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It may not be fancy world class cuisine, but damn it was good.

The best fillet... I was working at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando and they had a big time fancy banquette for some group and had some left over food that they carted into the employee cafeteria. Since it was after 10 there were very few people around so all of us who got off late got to chow down on some damn good fillet perfectly cooked.

 

[skulkingghost]

Fogo De Chao
Philadelphia

http://www.fogodechao.com/

 

[Kyteland]

Originally posted by: Xstatic1
what's duck fat fries?

French fries only they use duck fat for cooking oil. Only available on Friday and Saturday.

 

[Kyteland]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Choice. The line is pretty epic though. I recall that Midway Games had offices near them too. That would be an excellent job, except for the whole bankruptcy, but at least you would have Hot Doug's at arm's reach.

Man I miss Hot Doug's. The day I get back to Chicago I'm dragging anybody I can to hit up the place.

Midway sold all of those offices and are moving out. If you can't run a successful video game company, you can't have Hot Doug's either.

 

[Redfraggle]

3 course meal at Olives in the Bellagio in Vegas. I started with I think lamb chili, then moved on to the best damn ribeye ever to cross these lips (SO was jealous as his veal was meh), and then had super chocolatey dark chocolate pudding with orange in it. They served bread and some delicious olives to start. Even better, I won several hundred dollars later that night.

 

[Paladin]

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Possibly the best would be at Mama's Fish House on Maui. Every meal I've ever had there gave me "mouth orgasms." (or maybe it was all the Scorpions I drink there )

http://www.mamasfishhouse.com/

This. Mama's Fish House is incredible. Best Ono I've ever had. The whole place makes it a grand experience. Incredible scenery....

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: skulkingghost
Fogo De Chao
Philadelphia

http://www.fogodechao.com/

Ahh I had a great meal at one of those places before

Pampas in Palo Alto, CA
I still like House of Prime Rib in SF over Mortons
Boulevard in SF is great, although I'll need to check out Gary Danko someday.

As for cooking steaks, iono, my good experiences have been grilling and then finishing in the oven. It's frequently used in restaurants. Grilling alone is never the best way to do it.

 

[ivan2]

http://www.yelp.com/biz/gu-shi...se-restaurant-flushing

this place. i like one of their dishes (the stir fried tofu with pork thing) a lot that i order it every time when I go there and i am content to only eat that. it is the best chinese dish i've ever had, even beats out those in china. it is better than most restaurants in the city.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: ivan2
http://www.yelp.com/biz/gu-shi...se-restaurant-flushing

this place. i like one of their dishes (the stir fried tofu with pork thing) a lot that i order it every time when I go there and i am content to only eat that. it is the best chinese dish i've ever had, even beats out those in china. it is better than most restaurants in the city.

Interesting. Not many Taiwanese places in my area anymore. It's sad. I mean totally WTF. We have a huge Taiwanese population here and there are barely any restaurants. Of course nothing beats going back to Taiwan, but I shall try this place if I ever go to NY.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: torpid
Jealous of Keith... want to go to french laundry and el bulli. On the other hand, I've been to Alinea and it was the best meal I've ever had.

Damn, I really want to get to Alinea. I remember reading about Achatz in The Soul of a Chef and wondering what may become of him and he sure has done well for himself. The Alinea cookbook is fantastic.

KT

 

[PricklyPete]

I have a very fond memory of a meal at "Citrus" in Barcelona. It was basically three very thick filets with some small sides...and the most fantastic cake (with warm chocolate insides that gushed out when eating) and ice-cream. I may have had better meals...but that one is the one that truly sticks out in my mind.

 

[Gothgar]

Originally posted by: Xstatic1

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Man I miss Hot Doug's. The day I get back to Chicago I'm dragging anybody I can to hit up the place.

is it better than Portillo's?

oh god, portillos is fucking terrible

"want some beef that has been boiled so long is has no flavor left in it? oh, we'll put 'gravy' on it, don't worry, no matter that it is just fucking beef flavored water."

 

[nerdress]

Big Water Grille in Incline Village, NV, for a succession of appetizers that were just to DIE for.

Ad Hoc in Yountville, CA (Napa), for steak & eggs (breakfast), holy crap was that amazing.

Lizard Lounge in 4eme, Paris, France, for breakfast with Eggs Florentine. I never even like spinach or tomatoes until I ate that meal, now I LOVE them.

 

[Sealy]

Originally posted by: broon
Canoe Restaurant in Toronto for the best experience.

Traildust Steakhouse in Denver for the best steak. This is most likely because I had been living on hamburger helper for over a year and finally had enough money to go out for a steak.

Canoe is awesome....best food I've had in forever!