Houston doesn't have much going for it, but the international dining options are pretty great. I have no strong Nola takes, but I did chuckle at how The Killer summed up its restaurant scene.
Unfortunately agree on Charleston. There are certainly great spots but so much of it has been geared towards instagram bait. Losing some top chefs to other cities in recent years as well
These Tiger Woods meeting Verne Lindquist at the Masters memes are making me laugh more than they should.
The great part about New Orleans is the variety. There are like 20 restaurants specializing in each pho variety.
It’s NYC in the US and I don’t think it’s close. People just think of Manhattan and fail to realize that you can get literally any cuisine in the world in Brooklyn/Queens.
Sometimes when I’m feeling naughty I’ll add some le epic bacon in between the avocado toast and the Obama pic.
yeah of metropolis cities its untouchable I go once a year and largely stay in Chinatown, still barely scratched the surface of just what's in Manhattan let alone the rest
50 Bowery on the edge of Chinatown has become our go-to for NYC, usually pretty affordable or I can use points. Nice rooftop with good views for a drink too. Possibly best sushi in the world outside of Japan is walking distance at Yoshino
hey I also often stay there. Hyatt points make it really reasonable even when we go during Christmastime. NobleDen a few blocks North is another great sometimes reasonably priced spot, even if its technically in Little Italy. how hard are reservations at that spot? we usually go real loosely scheduled cause we have quite a few friends in the city to run into but always like to book one nice dinner. Bernadin/Per Se/etc type.
It’s very difficult. If you dine once and they don’t hate you, the GM will give you her number and email so that you can just book reservations insider-style though (similar to the sushiyas in Tokyo) and you will not have to worry about Tock. Last time I looked, there was an occasional weekday spot available. They have two seatings per night. Prices are incredibly steep but you leave feeling like you got your money’s worth.
We’ve only been twice but both times were incredible. Like top 3 meal lifetime incredible. I’m not normally a phone at dinner guy but they practically beg you to take pics, I’m assuming to lighten the mood compared to the traditional Japanese stuffy vibes
Those tuna slices were from the #1 tuna sold at Tsukiji that morning. Until he left Japan and went to the USA it was unheard of getting cuts from the #1 tuna outside of Japan. At least according to them, could be BS I suppose. The second time we went they said the cuts were from the #3 tuna so it doesn’t happen often still
Most expensive meal I’ve ever had was Quince in SF. It was good but one of the few times I’ve left a really nice restaurant and been like that was kind of a ripoff. They make their signature dishes supplemental courses! Insanity
Our tab at Saison was pretty bad - I think like $1,300 or so but that was largely due to the wine pairing.
Nakazawa gets a ton of respect from me for keeping their prices steady despite inflation. It’s also really fucking good, might have been our first higher end sushi place we went to. But it’s like comparing an Audi to a limited edition Ferrari. Yoshino is just that good
Le Louis XV probably my second highest. But tipping is less in Europe at least. Wine pairings is where we usually get the kick in the pants
Just checked my email. Quince was $2300 for two dinners, wine pairings, plus the supplemental courses. Wish I could go back and kick my own ass now
Montreal’s food scene is pretty amazing for smaller-sized major cities. Hoping to make trips to Japan and Basque Country in the next couple of years, which obviously both speak for themselves in the culinary scene.
It’s not listed on the menu but they will do a wine and sake pairing that is incredible and very generous as well
Grew up poor, fine dining has been a guilty pleasure. Not planning on doing it nearly as much going forward
really... that's interesting. I went to Nakazawa when it first opened and have probably been 3 more times since. always fantastic especially given the price (amazing how they've not doubled or tripled it since opening). I didn't really Yoshino was that good. I'll have to put in on my list.
Never really had sushi til I got with my now wife, who was ordering it like 3 times a week from a place near her house. The usual huge saucy bullshit rolls with bad fish. I started eating sushi with her but had to get that gross saucy loose roll shit that’s rampant in the south outta my life so it has escalated a bit since then.
pretty sure he was talking domestic cities (where NYC and Chicago are 1 and 2) but I'm not sure if Rome is even a top 5 food city in italy, let alone globally