Restaurants

Every December, as the year winds down and people take stock of their experiences of the past 12 months, magazines and television shows announce their annual Top 10-types of proclamations. This year is no different: Travel & Leisure has published its “50 Best New Restaurants of 2009.” That’s quite a lot of best new restaurants in North America, isn’t it? This list can be a handy guide for the culinary traveler.
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Posted by Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

Marche Restaurant

Nothing says love like eating and drinking your way through a city. I love Eugene, Oregon in the spring time. Let me count the ways…

Best organic, sustainable food: Marche Restaurant located at the base of Eugene’s Fifth Street Public Market. Owner/Chef Stephanie Pearl Kimmel and Executive Chef Rocky Maselli believe that seasonal and local are where its at when it comes to food sourcing. “I live in a chef’s playground,” marvels Maselli. It is all about celebrating the bounty of Pacific Northwest locally grown and gathered food. FYI, my wild salmon tasted like it was fresh from the ocean. The soup of the day, a puree of spring onion with panchetta; fantastic.

Follow Marche Restaurant on Twitter @Marche_eug

King Estate Burger

Best Burger: The KE Burger, with estate bacon, Tillamook cheddar and beefsteak tomato served on a house bun with pommes frites and home made ketchup was killer at $10. For $8 more, you could make your burger sing with Foie Gras and Truffled Fries.  If you happen to be at King Estate Winery on a sunny day, I recommend dining outside on the patio with a glass of 2006 Oregon Riesling or a NxNW 2006 Walla Walla Syrah or the 2007 Signature Pinot Noir. The restaurant seats 80, with 23 inside tables. For those daring to walk on the wild side, order Executive Chef Michael Landsberg’s Profiterole of candied bacon ice cream served with caramel sauce. Personally, I prefer my bacon on the KE Burger. Awesome!

Follow King Estate on Twitter @kingestate

Ravioli of the Day

Best Pasta: Beppe & Gianni’s Trattoria, located on East 19th Avenue, didn’t exist when I attended the University of Oregon. I’m glad some things about Eugene have changed since I’ve been gone. I ordered the Ravioli of the day with roasted chicken, baby spinach in a dijon mustard cream sauce with crimini mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes, in addition to a ceasar salad with homemade dressing. Going strong since it opened in 1998, this is a fun, lively addition to campus.

Prince Pucklers Ice Cream

Save room for ice cream after dinner at Beppe & Gianni’s. Cross the street to Prince Pucklers and have a scoop of mint chip. If it’s good enough for Barack Obama, it’s good enough for me. This institution was a going concern when I was a college-coed and it’s still a campus favorite. In fact, Prince Pucklers has its own Facebook fan page.

Best Chocolate: Euphoria Chocolate Company has the best hand-dipped chocolate truffles. I was bummed that I didn’t have a chance to stop by the store on 17th and Willamette or make it to the Euphoria at Valley River Center. There’s always next time.

Bangkok Grill

Best Food Booths at the Eugene Saturday Market: Bangkok Grill makes an excellent pad thai with homemade peanut sauce and pork on a stick.

Best Desserts: Dana’s Cheesecake Bakery. Since 1980 Dana and his wife have been creating cheesecake such as the best seller Oregon Berry, a combination of marionberry, raspberry and blackberry. My personal favorite, peanut butter!

Best wheat or gluten free desserts: Sweet Life Patisserie. I confess, I didn’t have time to stop at Sweet Life but everyone I polled said this was the bees knees for cinnamon rolls and all things sugary. Next time; I’m on it!

Best Beer: Eugene City Brewery is part of the Rogue Ales family of breweries. Founded in 2004, the Brewery takes its name from the original Eugene City Brewery, established in 1866. They even have a brewery, Rogue Ales Public House, in San Francisco’s North Beach area. (Oregonians are serious about their beer.)

Best Micro-brewed Beer: Ninkasi Brewing Company was born on June 15, 2006 when Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge spent 17 hours brewing their first batch of Total Domination IPA. They have now moved to the Historic Whiteaker neighborhood in Eugene. Call ahead before you go (541) 344-2739

Photos by Nancy D. Brown

(le-bernardin.com)

Let’s talk for a minute about one of the best French restaurants in the country. New York City’s Le Bernardin is exquisite, formal, and very high-end. Unless you’ve been to The French Laundry out in Napa Valley, Le Bernardin also will likely be the best French seafood meal you’ll have outside of France. This is one of the rare 3 Michelin star restaurants in the United States. More than just great lunch or dinner in an elegant, fancy setting, a meal here is a memorable event.

There’s a very different feel to this high-end French restaurant than the French Laundry, of course; French country (more relaxed) is the California model, where as Le Berardin is pure old-style New York class. You’ll see jeans and shirts at even the fanciest, most high-end restaurants in California; this corresponds with the casual culture. Find an equivalent restaurant in New York City, however, and the diners there will be dressed much more formally. A night out at one of the best French restaurants in the city is an occasion in and of itself, and New Yorkers (and tourists) like to step up for the event. Case in point: Le Bernardin has an actual dress code – with several spare sports coats for guests who forgot to wear theirs.

(le-bernardin.com)

Le Bernardin specializes in seafood, though of course the menu isn’t limited to that. The decor is elegant yet warm, with some light wood paneling – not so much as to make the room feel woodsy – and the service is perfectly crisp and professional. If the waitstaff ever slip up, I’ve yet to see it. Some complain that the entrees here are on the small side, but this is no noisy steakhouse, this is Le Berdardin; every crumb is well thought-out by the chef. The food presentation is almost as important as its taste.

People rave about the chef’s tasting menu. I’ve never had it, so can’t speak for it personally. However, the grilled, salted Bacalao is succulent and amazing, and the Surf and Turf (with Kobe beef) is so delicious it makes the standard fried-fish-and steak at other restaurants seem like another dish entirely. There are a few non-seafood items on the menu, but the Le Bernardin is really renown for its seafood. Try the escolar – that’s a Pacific fish sometimes called white tuna, apparently, and absolutely transcendent. It’s common to see diners at Le Bernardin become completely focused on their meals, to the point of distraction – the seafood is just that good.

The desserts at Le Bernardin are as exquisitely presented as are the main courses, (they are similarly not hugely proportioned). I recommend the fig dessert as something different and special. It is prepared with creamy, sweetened goat cheese and a red wine caramel; it is a new combination of flavors (yes, that’s bacon ice cream on your plate, but it works, believe me). For the more standard desert, try the ice cream or sorbet, all made that day.

One last item of interest: The chef, Eric Ripert, has gone on record to say that he won’t “serve Chilean sea bass, grouper, shark, swordfish or wild bluefin tuna…to help speed the recovery of these endangered species.” I think this is terrific. A chef that truly cares about the quality of his product also cares about its source, and keeping it healthy.

Le Bernardin
155 W. 51st St.
New York, NY
(212) 554-1100

Bouley (davidbouley.com)

New York City – that city of dreamers, of high aspirations, of soaring successes and tragic failures – well, it’s the most visited city in the United States for obvious reasons. Many of us trace our family immigration to NYC, and today it remains a polyglot of cultures. Little wonder, then, that New York City has the highest concentration of the best restaurants in the country. After all, us tourists gotta eat, right?

When I lived in NYC, I honestly didn’t think much about these top-rated restaurants. They were there, yeah, but if my family took a vote, they’d want to go to the corner diner where the waitresses knew my kids (this meant extra french fries; I pretended not to notice). Now that I live on the other side of the country, a visit to New York City practically necessitates dinners out at at least a couple of my favorite high-end joints – it helps that my NYC-based family usually picks up the tab! Here, then, are my picks for the best fancy restaurants in New York City.

Best Upscale Restaurants in NYC:

French - Le Bernardin, Per Se, Bouley, Daniel, Cafe Boulud

Italian - Babbo, Felidia Ristorante, Osteria del Circo, Gusto Ristorante e Bar Americano, Esca

Steakhouse - Porter House New York, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, Dylan Prime, Peter Luger Steak House, Old Homestead

American - Gramercy Tavern, 21 Club, Blue Water Grill, One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Virgil’s Real Barbecue, Craft

Indian - Dawat, Sapphire Indian Cuisine, Tamarind, Tabla

Japanese - En Japanese Brasserie, Hamachi, Nippon, Sugiyama, Nobu, Masa

This list of the best high-end restaurants in New York City is, of course, subject to change. Let us hear about your favorite places to eat in NYC, and I’ll do my best to try them out next time I visit Manhattan.

BOA is a Best Steakhouse Restaurant in Santa Monica (boasteak.com)

Santa Monica is a popular travel destination in Southern California, and for good reason.  In terms of dining, there’s a little of something for everyone here, from the lowest of greasy spoons and sports bars, to great burger joints, to upscale restaurants that are on par with anything in greater Los Angeles. These formal, adult restaurants provide more than just dinner; they provide memorable dining experiences. Here are my recommended best high-end restaurants in Santa Monica, California.

Best Upscale Restaurants in Santa Monica:

Melisse, 1104 Wilshire Blvd - This elegant restaurant is a pricey affair, and worth it. French food prepared to perfection, with expert sommeliers on hand, provide a sense of European dining. This is a 2-star Michelin, 4-star Mobil Travel Guide restaurant, and reservations are needed. When I’ve dined here, I left feeling as though I’ve had a genuinely valuable foodie experience – and I’m not the only one. It’s been a top-rated upscale restaurant in Los Angeles for eight years.

Banquet Dining at The Lobster, in Santa Monica CA (thelobster.com)

The Lobster, 1602 Ocean Ave - It looks like it might be tacky or hokey, what with its location right on the Santa Monica Pier. But don’t be deterred, as The Lobster has seafood as spectacular as its views of the Pacific Ocean and the beach. This is a great restaurant for people taking vacations in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, as it provides ample views of the locals rollerblading or haplessly trying to surf. The bustle here is notable during lunch, but at dinner, the setting is suitably romantic for a special adult meal.

JiRaffe Restaurant, 502 Santa Monica Blvd - This is another classy restaurant, and it’s a short walk from the Santa Monica Pier and the 3rd St. Promenade. It’s one of my favorite restaurants in the entire Los Angeles area. Try the prix fixe menu on Mondays to get a little taste of many tasty items on the menu; this is a relatively affordable way to sample several terrific California French entrees. The blend of fresh, local ingredients with traditionally French cuisine is a creative take, and perfectly encapsulates the best of California’s ability to make new what could otherwise remain Old Country-style cuisine.

BOA Steakhouse, 101 Santa Monica Blvd - Observant readers may notice that steakhouses are my favorite type of restaurant. BOA is a great steakhouse in Santa Monica (there’s one in West Hollywood, and Las Vegas, as well), with the casual yet formal flair that characterizes so much of California’s overarching culture. Right on Santa Monica and Ocean Ave, BOA is across the street from the ocean, and outdoor seating is very, very popular.  The steaks and other entrees are as good as I’ve had.

Ivy at the Shore, 1541 Ocean Ave - The original Ivy is iconic; a classy, sophisticated restaurant where movie stars come to be seen. The Ivy at the Shore has the same high-quality food, albeit without the “star power.” This is a good thing for a less pretentious, quiet American meal with a view.

Melisse is a Best Restaurant in the Los Angeles Area (melisse.com)

Chinois on Main, 2709 Main St - Chinois on Main is a drive away from the tourist hub of the Santa Monica Pier and 3rd St Promenade, The Main Street area is more bohemian, and filled with local artists and strivers. Chinois is worth the trip, though; it’s still a classy affair. It’s hard to find good Chinese food in Los Angeles outside of Chinatown, and this is one of the best. The French-Chinese cuisine is an interesting twist on the standard fried rice platters. It’s loud, though – consider yourself warned. This is a best fusion restaurant in Santa Monica, certainly, and the best Chinese food spot on the West side of Los Angeles. If it’s a quiet, romantic meal you seek, however, try Melisse instead.

Valentino, 3115 Pico Blvd - Valentino is also a drive away from the most popular vacation area of Santa Monica. It’s a very romantic Italian restaurant.  The classic Northern Italian dishes are amazing: this is no red-sauce-and-spaghetti joint. The wine list, wine matching, and sommelier are perfect for a romantic, adult meal. Valentino’s is highly recommended for a special occasion night out.

These are my picks for the best upscale restaurants in Santa Monica, California. Any one of these would provide a memorable night out for travelers visiting the Los Angeles area.

The Palm in San Diego (Photo courtesy of ThePalm.com)

The Palm is a family-owned, well-known upscale steakhouse chain with around 25 restaurants scattered across the country. In San Diego CA, The Palm is downtown but basically on the edge of the Gaslamp District, on J Street. Like the other Palm restaurants, this one has a wide variety of menu options available in a classy, old-style restaurant. The decor is reminiscent of the original Palm in New York City – caricatures and old photographs all over the walls, classy settings at tables and booths, and a convivial atmosphere.

Some logistics of The Palm in San Diego: There is a spacious open dining room with seating for approximately 130 guests,
three elegant private dining/function rooms, each with a flat/plasma screen TV, full AV capabilities and data connection for laptops, accommodating a total of 130 guests, and perhaps best of all, a fun bar scene, with seating for 65 guests and adjoining lounge, with two flat/plasma screen TVs.

Classy, festive bar at The Palm, San Diego (photo courtesy of ThePalm.com)

The Palm is referred to as “the place to see and be seen.” This is likely in reference to the various star sightings that occur at all the Palms. Famous people that already have their caricatures, photos, and portraits up on the walls have even, occasionally, autographed them.

The Palm serves very generous portions, and the atmosphere encourages leaning over and sampling from your friends’ or family’s plates. Really; the appetizers and entrees are oversized, and meant for sharing! The large and varied menu includes all the usual steakhouse options, along with fish prepared most ways imaginable, and classic Italian choices as well. The appetizers are all seafood, and really can’t be missed; try the jumbo shrimp cocktail and lobster bisque. Delicious. But why the Italian flair? Easy: The original restaurant was founded in 1926, by two immigrants from northern Italy. The Palm is still owned by their Italian-American descendants, and all the Palm restaurants keep the tradition. It works. Some of the Italian specialties at The Palm are linguini with clam sauce, veal martini, and chicken scallopine. They are all recommended for guests not interested in the fantastic Porterhouse steak or prime rib.

Luckily for San Diego’s leisure and business travelers and locals alike, The Palm on J Street opened strong just a few years ago (2005) and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s not only one of the best steakhouse restaurants around the Gaslamp Quarter, it is one of the best in San Diego, CA as a whole.