Favorite 'local' restaurants

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,633
15
Savannah, GA
Took me quite some time to dig this one up. When I visited Mean Green a while back, I passed by some old tavern and popped in because I happened to be hungry at the time.

Turned out they made damned good bison burger. That's all I remembered, along with the big fireplaces and basic experience; but it was good enough that it's been bugging me that I forgot the place.

Fifty Googlings later, and I now know it's called Jean Bonnet Tavern.

Apparently, people have built a business exploiting some historical haunting. Maybe it's seasonal, as nobody was peddling that stuff when I was there. Regardless, I think it's worth dropping in if you're nearby and hungry, and it's a proper bed and breakfast, too.

Even if it's different now, the burger is still on the menu, and it's kind of hard to fuck a burger up to the point that it's inedible. So, you'll be fed one way or another.

I suspect, however, that it's likely still being done properly.

Cheers,

Kennith

Love a good burger. Talk about exploiting hauntings; ton of ghost tours here. Yup, done a few, since drinks were involved but the first one was the best. May have to look up the company since I did not book it myself. Damn bachelorette parties are constant here, so it seems.
 

Howski

Well-known member
Oct 19, 2009
1,483
209
Alabama
Archibald’s - Northport, AL - a cinder block building in someone’s backyard, best ribs I’ve ever had
Home Team BBQ - Sullivan’s Island, SC - great bbq, sides and drinks before walking 2 blocks to the beach
Jack’s Pizza and Wings - Atlanta, GA - a dive to the highest degree with great pizza, and smoked wings, cheap drinks
Angelo and Son Seafood - Panacea, FL - best Gulf seafood I’ve ever had
Soby’s - Greenville, SC - my favorite local spot
 

AbnMike

Well-known member
Apr 6, 2016
1,218
117
Western Slope, CO
The Hitching Post in Washington DC:

http://www.thehpostrestaurant.com/

It's run and owned by an old black couple. The bottom of the restaurant is a converted house (before all the cracker lawyers and their frat mattress bored wives started putting codes up everywhere to keep their property values) and they live upstairs.

No fru-fru crap. It's so old-school-black-people that even hipsters don't go there to "discover" it and instagram how urban they are.

You get fried food mainly. You get a Chicken Dinner for $16.50 and it's the whole fucking chicken. Plus two pint sized sides. You sit on vinyl seats. There's no ambiance. They do serve beer.

The chicken is fried in a cast iron skillet. Not deep fried. Your order will take at least 30 minutes to fulfill. If your favorite chicken is deep fried then your opinion on fried chicken is as worthless as a dick growing out of your ankle.

Second is some place up in Maine or somewhere where you ordered lobster and sat on a shitty seagull shit covered pier outside and ate the lobster that was steamed in the ocean water it was caught in earlier that day. On paper plates. I forget the name.

Third is a BBQ joint out from Jacksonville towards Mandarin, FL. It was a tin shack. If the owner felt like fishing (wth a cane pole) then it was closed. If he didn't feel like fishing then it was open. Mostly he felt like fishing. It's probably closed now though as this was a few decades ago.

While I'm being old and full of vinegar: if a restaurant has fucking random names thrown together , separated by "and" (Sheep and Tabletop, Tree Branch and Door Handle, This random fucking piece of lint I found in my pocket and Cr?me Brulee) then it is going to fucking suck, no matter what celebrity status the douchebag who opened it has or the local poof food writer says about it.
 
Jan 3, 2005
11,745
70
On Kennith's private island
I'm a sucker for a burger. I've been to many "voted best burger in America" joints. I've found that if the joint was voted best burger, it's probably not the best burger joint around. Stella's in Grand Rapids, MI, being a bit of an exception. Hands down the best burger I've ever had, and on a consistent basis, is Jake's Bar and Grill in Waynesboro, VA. It's a hole-in-the-wall joint on the shady side of town. You're not going to find the hoppiest IPA in there and the service kind of sucks. It's noting fancy, bourbon and burgers is what you go to Jake's for.
http://jakesbarandgrill.net/
 

garrett

Well-known member
Jun 18, 2004
10,931
5
53
Middleburg, VA
www.blackdogmobility.com
Favorite burger joint is also the oldest one. Louis Lunch in New Haven. They still use the vertical grills that were used 120 years ago. New Haven also has some of the best pizza (apizza) in the US too, so it's a win-win really.

http://louislunch.com/

Pepe's, Modern and Zuppardi's are among the very best for pizza.

Hodad's in San Diego is still a strong contender for burgers too.

Inn at Middletown - Middletown, CT - still the best damn lobster BLT I've had.

Eamonn's - Old Town Alexandria VA - very solid fish and chips outside the UK. They have mushy peas too. Very best was some dive in Newfoundland that didn't have a sign.

Taqueria Guadalajara - Winchester, VA - best Mexican food I've had in this part of the country. Not Tex-Mex - good mole sauces and excellent authentic Mexican food.

I need a few hours to type up my list.
 

Blueboy

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
3,205
459
Back in the USA; Rockwood, PA
Second is some place up in Maine or somewhere where you ordered lobster and sat on a shitty seagull shit covered pier outside and ate the lobster that was steamed in the ocean water it was caught in earlier that day. On paper plates. I forget the name.

That could be many, many places in ME.

And you're right - these are great places to have lobster.

Need to think some more before adding anything worthwhile.
 

ukoffroad

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2010
2,125
168
Lynchburg, Va
I don't like the sharing and invasiveness most seem to enjoy; and some of my activities, while interesting or relevant from an off-pavement/overland perspective, and while they allow me uncommon insight, tend to straddle a few gray areas.

The frequency with which you post would seem to discredit that statement. Did you make it to Wintergreen?
 

Robbie

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
1,463
1
NOVA
Smoke Signals in Lake Placid, NY. Weird to consider best beef brisket I have ever had came from an upstate NY restaurant, but they were. Also amazing was the Smoked Reuben.
 

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,633
15
Savannah, GA
Not sure how 'local' this place is but had the best giant pretzel (very airy dough yet perfectly crisp on the outside) with green chili queso and pork belly lollipos at SOHO Social in Birmingham, AL this past weekend. They also had Hopslam on tap. Heading back there in a few weeks so any Birmingham recommendations?
 

Howski

Well-known member
Oct 19, 2009
1,483
209
Alabama
Hot & Hot Fish Club in Birmingham is fantastic. It’s a regional chain but Moe’s Original BBQ is fantastic as well. Their wings and sides are amazing. Now I wish I was heading there in a few weeks for the Indycar race at Barber
 

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,633
15
Savannah, GA
Hot & Hot Fish Club in Birmingham is fantastic. It?s a regional chain but Moe?s Original BBQ is fantastic as well. Their wings and sides are amazing. Now I wish I was heading there in a few weeks for the Indycar race at Barber

Copy, thanks for the recommendations. Will def try to check em out.
 

kade

Well-known member
Oct 15, 2013
235
7
Upstate, SC
Any one got any food recommendations for California? Doing a road trip from LV to LA to SF and any ideas for good stops along the way would be appreciated.
 

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,633
15
Savannah, GA
Any one got any food recommendations for California? Doing a road trip from LV to LA to SF and any ideas for good stops along the way would be appreciated.

If you are in San Clemente the breakfast burritos at Surfin' Donut are the bomb!
 

4Runner

Well-known member
May 24, 2007
660
110
Boise Idaho
Calico Cupboard in Mount Vernon WA for breakfast and lunch is great. Pecos Pit BBQ in Seattle WA is my favorite bbq on the west coast. Big City is my favorite bfast place in Boise ID. A bunch of guys hanging around a smoker on any corner of the wrong part of town in Florida is my favorite BBQ there. I miss southern cooking.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
The frequency with which you post would seem to discredit that statement. Did you make it to Wintergreen?

Nope.

As for posting, there's a difference between average and frequency.

People are slowly beginning to realize I'm right about the dangers of sharing information.

By the time they wrap their fucking doorstop brains around it... Hell, what am I saying? It's already too late for them.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Maybe it was just because I was really hungry at the time, but On the Rise Bread Company in Roanoke, VA cranked out some of the best Chicago-style pizza I've ever had.

It had been so long that I couldn't really compare it to anything, but it was excellent one way or another. Darn good bakery, too.

Only went there once, though. Hopefully it's actually that good, and it wasn't some kind of fluke.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,633
15
Savannah, GA
Haven't had a chance to make it to the recommended locations in Bham; stuck close to the hotel (Homewood area) due to the busy schedule. As I said before, SOHO Social was really good, so was Jackson's (both right by city hall). Hit up Big Bad Breakfast joint across the street. All great places!