Favorite 'local' restaurants

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,633
15
Savannah, GA
Since we have been discussing a few kitchen gadgets, might as well keep talking about food. May be helpful when some Dwebbers travel. Love Hank's Oyster Bar (great oysters and beer selection; lobster roll is awesome) and Pasta Bar in Old Town Alexandria, VA. The Gray, in Savannah, GA is great as well. Hotel DeSoto in Savannah has great pork belly. Crystal Beer Palor has some great food too. Just to start with a few.
 
Last edited:

stu454

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2004
5,407
61
Atlanta, GA
Fox Bros may be the best bbq in Atlanta.

The Sail Loft in Boston has incredible chowder.

The Blue Moon Diner in Farmington, NM has a hell of a breakfast.

Mick's in Moab may have the best burgers on earth.
 

SGaynor

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
7,148
162
52
Bristol, TN
My all-time favorite place is Armsby Abbey in Worchester, MA. All kinds of (great) beers on tap, and the food is a foodies dream - they have cheese plates where all the cheeses come from small, mom and pop operations around the US. The whole slow food deal. But it is just amazing food. Decor is wood, lots of it - think an old English bar.

I used to go there when I visited for work; my coworker introduced me to it. He loved it so much he bought into an ownership stake.

They also have a sister bar (a couple blocks over) that is in a shitty part of town - it's appropriately named, The Dive Bar. It's small, kind of dumpy, but the beer's are amazing. They called it The Dive Bar because of the decor - dive gear, like the old brass dive helmets.

There's a place here in Bristol (VA) called Burger Bar. It's an old fashioned burger joint (greasy spoon) - you can sit at the "bar" the permanently mounted seats - think the 50s. Their burgers are great (Thrillist rated them best in VA), but the real secret is the Ruben. The owner makes his own corned beef and it's piled high. It's claim to fame (beyond the food) is that it was the last place Hank Williams was seen alive.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Hold on...

Give me some time to think of the most obscure hipster joint I've only visited once, that has the same craft beer everyone else does, and from who's menu I've only sampled one dish, which was a hamburger.

I might have to Google some stuff, as it's got to be something really obscure, or nobody will respect me as being fancy and "relevant in the modern era". :rofl:

Oh! I've got it! Boston fucking Market. :victory:

One thing I can tell you in regard to some hipster, hifalutin nonsense is this: I'm close enough to The Chef and the Farmer to have been there a few times. It's literally the worst restaurant I've ever visited in my life; and I've seen my food walk in the front door, across a dirt floor, and right back out the building for killin' in some of the places I've been.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,633
15
Savannah, GA
Hold on...

Give me some time to think of the most obscure hipster joint I've only visited once, that has the same craft beer everyone else does, and from who's menu I've only sampled one dish, which was a hamburger.

I might have to Google some stuff, as it's got to be something really obscure, or nobody will respect me as being fancy and "relevant in the modern era". :rofl:

Oh! I've got it! Boston fucking Market. :victory:

One thing I can tell you in regard to some hipster, hifalutin nonsense is this: I'm close enough to The Chef and the Farmer to have been there a few times. It's literally the worst restaurant I've ever visited in my life; and I've seen my food walk in the front door, across a dirt floor, and right back out the building for killin' in some of the places I've been.

Cheers,

Kennith


Wtf is up w Boston Market obssession? And who said anything about hipster joints? You sound a bit full of yourself Kennith; per usual.
 
Last edited:

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Wtf is up w Boston Market obssession? And who said anything about hipster joints? You sound a bit full of yourself Kennith; per usual.

Not my fault you don't recognize dry sarcasm.

Hell, I'd rather be full of myself than whatever you're full of.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,633
15
Savannah, GA
Not my fault you don't recognize dry sarcasm.

Hell, I'd rather be full of myself than whatever you're full of.

Cheers,

Kennith

Sorry for not recognizing dry sarcasm; seemed the whole reply you posted did not have added value to this thread. Not full of anything here. This was just a simple thread. Just don't talk about my elusive past exploits as much as you do.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
seemed the whole reply you posted did not have added value to this thread.

If I had a dollar for every post on Discoweb that added zero value to a thread I could buy a brand new Range Rover Autobiography with cash to spare to restore every neglected Disco within 100 miles on craigslist.

There are risks inherent to this thread. The restaurant business, by its very nature, is ephemeral. A great spot that is thriving today may be closed down in six months. Some places are institutions that will be passed down through generations, others come and go. Leases expire, buildings get redeveloped, chefs retire, tastes change. The information on this thread will be useful as long as it's current.

I'm going to Boston next month and would appreciate some recommendations for seafood. And I sure as hell won't be going to any Boston Market.
 

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,008
361
35
Los Angeles, Ca
Location?

There are two. One is in the Lower East Side and is tiny. I think they have four tables. Basically that location was their takeout location with the actual restaurant next door. The building had a fire, so they closed that location. The opened a second location in Williamsburg that is a normal size and has a full bar. The food is cheap and awesome, and the cocktails are great as well. I took our dark lord and master Chris Snell there. I think he liked it.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Sorry for not recognizing dry sarcasm; seemed the whole reply you posted did not have added value to this thread. Not full of anything here. This was just a simple thread. Just don't talk about my elusive past exploits as much as you do.

Actually, the last paragraph did.

It's an expensive restaurant that people go well out of their way to visit, as a result of the show. They'll walk out $150 lighter, unsatisfied, and looking forward to a long night on a porcelain cruise. If someone has seen the show, and is within 50 miles, they'll usually pop in.

I noted it's horrible. That's helpful.

You want me to come up with the obvious, here it goes:

1:
B's Barbecue. It's nearby, and it's as good as people say it is, provided you appreciate Eastern NC barbecue at all. Some don't, but many have never tried the real deal.

It's actually got flavor. The smoke all night (or longer, depending on what they're doing), open up in the morning, and shut the window then they're out. If that window is shut, you're not getting anything for any amount of money.

Visitors seem to think Parker's barbecue is worth a shit. It's not. It's a joke. That's where threads like this usually direct them.

B's is one of the last hold-outs of the old ways. You can spot the fakes quickly by the sanitation rating. If it's 100, they ain't doing it right. You can't get an A rating if you're running a proper smoke-house; and certainly not a 100.

Last I checked, Parker's was holding steady at 102, with more polished stainless in that kitchen than one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants.

2: Another relatively nearby place is Bill's Hot Dogs. I personally hate them because they use those red rocket doggy-dick hot dogs, but I am indeed aware that others really dig the things. It's the chili that really drives it home for most people, and I've never heard a complaint, but it's just not my thing.

3: There used to be a place called The Warehouse nearby that was one of the best restaurants I've ever visited. They were another that held to the old ways of Southern cooking. Wimpies cleaned them out, which is another staple around here for some reason. Never been, personally.

4: I'd say the longest standing proper institutions around here are Harvey's Diner and K&W cafeteria, though; aside from B's. Harvey's is a good place to get yourself shot now, but it's still decent enough if you don't mind that sort of neighborhood. K&W, though... That place is a bit on the elderly side, but every single thing they have on that line is perfect, and it's fresh. If you ask for seafood and smell even the slightest hint of fish, someone hasn't taken a shower...

As for my obsession with Boston Market, it's pretty simple. I happen to really like the food, but there aren't any nearby. So, whenever I get to a place that's got one, it's a treat.

...and it's not exactly a mystery why I'm so damned "mysterious" all the time. I can contribute at certain times, given my experience in (admittedly) rather specific areas, but I'm careful to keep the net and the real world separate. I'm not the best mechanic here, I don't drive as many trails as you guys, and plenty here have owned more Rovers than I have.

I do things differently, and that occasionally allows me to clear things up if people will can it long enough to listen.

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.

Sometimes I need to attempt to qualify my statements or advice, but I'm only willing to go so far. All this connectivity is going to bite people in the ass eventually, and I won't be one of those bitten; or at least not hard enough to draw blood.

You enjoy it all you want. I choose to participate within my own comfort level, and there ain't no damned law against that. I'm generally more than happy to share additional details via telephone or in person. I just refuse to type them in a public (to a degree), searchable forum.

Just try weighing my points against your own observations and established practices, and do a bit of your own research as well, rather than worrying so much about how I came by the information.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
If I had a dollar for every post on Discoweb that added zero value to a thread I could buy a brand new Range Rover Autobiography with cash to spare to restore every neglected Disco within 100 miles on craigslist.

There are risks inherent to this thread. The restaurant business, by its very nature, is ephemeral. A great spot that is thriving today may be closed down in six months. Some places are institutions that will be passed down through generations, others come and go. Leases expire, buildings get redeveloped, chefs retire, tastes change. The information on this thread will be useful as long as it's current.

I'm going to Boston next month and would appreciate some recommendations for seafood. And I sure as hell won't be going to any Boston Market.

That's what I think is going to happen to Mike's Deli around here. It's just a sandwich shop, but that man knows how to layer and ribbon like nobody's business. Damned good. Told me that when it finally folds he was going to open a real soul food restaurant, which will be one of a very few still left here.

Don't worry about ending up at Boston Market in Boston. I passed that damned thing countless times and never figured out how to get there. :rofl:

Cheers,

Kennith
 

chris snell

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 15, 2005
3,020
152
El Patio de Albuquerque - Albuquerque NM, New Mexican style food
Blanco Cafe (original location) - San Antonio TX. Tex-Mex
Oklahoma Joe's BBQ - KCMO
Rasika - Washington DC, Indian
Alisson's - Kennebunkport ME, lobstah
Oren's Hummus - Palo Alto CA, Israeli
Stuebbens - Denver CO, American food and drinks
Milt's - Moab UT. Burger and shakes
Eskimo Joe's - Stillwater OK. Burgers
Musubi Cafe IYASUME - Waikiki HI. Musubi, what else?
Tita's Grill - Laie HI. Garlic shrimp and chocolate sheet cake
Din Tai Fung - Bellevue WA. Dim sum
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
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
 

Buddy

Well-known member
Nov 6, 2006
2,839
1
Central NC
One thing I can tell you in regard to some hipster, hifalutin nonsense is this: I'm close enough to The Chef and the Farmer to have been there a few times. It's literally the worst restaurant I've ever visited in my life; and I've seen my food walk in the front door, across a dirt floor, and right back out the building for killin' in some of the places I've been.

I totally agree, we went there a few years ago for my birthday. One of the worst meals I've ever had.