by pinback » Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:44 am
DC area (MD/VA)
I lived the first half of my life here, so I must have had some decent meals, but when I think of what I remember the most, it is
Mario's Pizza House on Arlington Blvd. Some of these are more, I cherish the memories more than the food, and this might be one of them, as I had learned that it is the exact place where my mother and father would go on dates, so when I moved to Arlington, I felt like going there was sort of a "circle of life" ritual. Look at that Yelp score! People hate this place! Everything is wrong there -- The pizza is rectangular, cut from large sheets of pizza made with provolone instead of mozzarella and reheated before serving. The famous "steak and cheese" is not reminiscent of any cheesesteak a Philadelphian would recognize. But nothing else tasted like anything you could get from there, and the ordering/buying ritual was straight out of Soup Nazi. There are tons of places around there called "Mario's Pizza House", just because this, the original, is such a local landmark.
Portland, OR
Sweetwater's Jam House was a Jamaican restaurant named after Sweetwater, the dead cat whose skeleton was mounted over the bar. They had pepper poppers, but made with fresh habaneros instead of the traditional jalapenos. At the time it was the hottest thing I'd ever eaten. I had to run out of the restaurant to catch my breath. If I tried them today I'd probably handle it better, but it opened up a whole world of painful possibilities which I am still exploring to this day.
New Brunswick, NJ
I don't even remember the name of the place, which is shocking, because I went there almost every day. World... World Something Cafe? It was this eclectic restaurant in the middle of nowhere, run by a big ol' hardcore Russian dude. We got into a routine, I would come there, eat at the bar, and then the owner would come out with his backgammon set and I'd sit there playing backgammon and drinking vodka with this hulking, straight-out-of-a-movie Russian. I got so familiar the chef took me on a tour of the kitchen, and I even got to play the lounge piano for the guests a couple times. Again, maybe more cherished as a memory than as food, but the food was also excellent, because Russians apparently know how to hire chefs. Everyone called the chef "Chef". Drink vodka with a Russian, that's my advice to you.
Myrtle Beach, SC
Spring House, a breakfast place along the beach, makes the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had. Biscuits and gravy is the correct breakfast to eat in South Carolina, everyone makes it, and theirs was the best.
LA, CA
I ate a lot of meals in/around here. Fancy places, dives, and everything in between. Everyone talks about In-n-Out burger, which I think is vastly overrated. If I went to LA for only one meal, it would be a double-cheeseburger from Pier Burger on the Santa Monica pier. The perfect burger -- two patties welded together with cheese and burger sauce, right there with the waves crashing on the beach, the insanity of LA in the rear-view mirror. What's not to like?
Denver, CO
Denver's best food comes out of the freezer section at the local Kroger variant.
Santiago's Green Chile is a must-have in every kitchen, and for me was my first hint of the glories of New Mexican cuisine that was to come. Oh man. Denver, culinarily, is basically Albuquerque North, and what a great thing to be.
Seattle, WA
Ivar's clam chowder, available everywhere, is about the best clam chowder there is. You can even get it while on the many ferries that you'll be riding if you have to go anywhere around the Sound. You have to get clams if you're up there. I demand it.
Albuquerque, NM
I mean. Can I pick "everything"? Is that a valid choice? Failing that, there is no question that the green chile cheeseburger from
Santa Fe Bite (nee Bobcat Bite) is unquestionably the best green chile cheeseburger in the world, which means it's also the single greatest meal in the world.
Nashville, TN
I only had Nashville hot chicken once, which is shocking, given how much I love fried chicken and spicy things, but at the time, you know, I wasn't in a position to be eating fried chicken. Plus, it is a very time-consuming operation, and it was always easier to do something else. But the one time I did have it, it was the best chicken I'd ever had, and still is. Now you find "Nashville hot chicken" stuff everywhere around the country, but this is one thing I think Nashville does better than all of the imitators.
Cincinnati, OH
Everything is terrible here! I guess I have to say Skyline Chili, but if I could have only one meal here it would be at
Mad Monk's Pizza. It might be my favorite pizza ever.
Almost everything is terrible here!
[b]DC area (MD/VA)[/b]
I lived the first half of my life here, so I must have had some decent meals, but when I think of what I remember the most, it is [url="https://www.yelp.com/biz/marios-pizza-house-arlington?start=280"]Mario's Pizza House[/url] on Arlington Blvd. Some of these are more, I cherish the memories more than the food, and this might be one of them, as I had learned that it is the exact place where my mother and father would go on dates, so when I moved to Arlington, I felt like going there was sort of a "circle of life" ritual. Look at that Yelp score! People hate this place! Everything is wrong there -- The pizza is rectangular, cut from large sheets of pizza made with provolone instead of mozzarella and reheated before serving. The famous "steak and cheese" is not reminiscent of any cheesesteak a Philadelphian would recognize. But nothing else tasted like anything you could get from there, and the ordering/buying ritual was straight out of Soup Nazi. There are tons of places around there called "Mario's Pizza House", just because this, the original, is such a local landmark.
[b]Portland, OR[/b]
Sweetwater's Jam House was a Jamaican restaurant named after Sweetwater, the dead cat whose skeleton was mounted over the bar. They had pepper poppers, but made with fresh habaneros instead of the traditional jalapenos. At the time it was the hottest thing I'd ever eaten. I had to run out of the restaurant to catch my breath. If I tried them today I'd probably handle it better, but it opened up a whole world of painful possibilities which I am still exploring to this day.
[b]New Brunswick, NJ[/b]
I don't even remember the name of the place, which is shocking, because I went there almost every day. World... World Something Cafe? It was this eclectic restaurant in the middle of nowhere, run by a big ol' hardcore Russian dude. We got into a routine, I would come there, eat at the bar, and then the owner would come out with his backgammon set and I'd sit there playing backgammon and drinking vodka with this hulking, straight-out-of-a-movie Russian. I got so familiar the chef took me on a tour of the kitchen, and I even got to play the lounge piano for the guests a couple times. Again, maybe more cherished as a memory than as food, but the food was also excellent, because Russians apparently know how to hire chefs. Everyone called the chef "Chef". Drink vodka with a Russian, that's my advice to you.
[b]Myrtle Beach, SC[/b]
Spring House, a breakfast place along the beach, makes the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had. Biscuits and gravy is the correct breakfast to eat in South Carolina, everyone makes it, and theirs was the best.
[b]LA, CA[/b]
I ate a lot of meals in/around here. Fancy places, dives, and everything in between. Everyone talks about In-n-Out burger, which I think is vastly overrated. If I went to LA for only one meal, it would be a double-cheeseburger from Pier Burger on the Santa Monica pier. The perfect burger -- two patties welded together with cheese and burger sauce, right there with the waves crashing on the beach, the insanity of LA in the rear-view mirror. What's not to like?
[b]Denver, CO[/b]
Denver's best food comes out of the freezer section at the local Kroger variant. [url="https://www.kroger.com/product/images/large/front/0082664500001"]Santiago's Green Chile[/url] is a must-have in every kitchen, and for me was my first hint of the glories of New Mexican cuisine that was to come. Oh man. Denver, culinarily, is basically Albuquerque North, and what a great thing to be.
[b]Seattle, WA[/b]
Ivar's clam chowder, available everywhere, is about the best clam chowder there is. You can even get it while on the many ferries that you'll be riding if you have to go anywhere around the Sound. You have to get clams if you're up there. I demand it.
[b]Albuquerque, NM[/b]
I mean. Can I pick "everything"? Is that a valid choice? Failing that, there is no question that the green chile cheeseburger from [url="https://santafebite.com/"]Santa Fe Bite (nee Bobcat Bite)[/url] is unquestionably the best green chile cheeseburger in the world, which means it's also the single greatest meal in the world.
[b]Nashville, TN[/b]
I only had Nashville hot chicken once, which is shocking, given how much I love fried chicken and spicy things, but at the time, you know, I wasn't in a position to be eating fried chicken. Plus, it is a very time-consuming operation, and it was always easier to do something else. But the one time I did have it, it was the best chicken I'd ever had, and still is. Now you find "Nashville hot chicken" stuff everywhere around the country, but this is one thing I think Nashville does better than all of the imitators.
[b]Cincinnati, OH[/b]
Everything is terrible here! I guess I have to say Skyline Chili, but if I could have only one meal here it would be at [url="http://madmonkspizza.com/"]Mad Monk's Pizza[/url]. It might be my favorite pizza ever. [i]Almost[/i] everything is terrible here!