The view is great, the food is not
 

Rarely are both the food and the view terrific.
By terrific I mean something to get excited about, not just a well-presented meal, that is good food (that's easy).

There are a few reasons for this; expensive setting does not allow for more costs to go into the meals, many chefs do not want to work in an environment where customers come for the view first, food second.

What are some of your "go for the view, but skip the meal" places?

A few off the top of my head are: 95th floor of the Hancock in Chicago, the space needle in Seattle, Montgomery Inn in Cincinnati.

Also any restaurant from this chain:

http://www.specialtyrestaurants.com/page5.html

Normally I don't like to group every restaurant in a bunch like that, BUT seeing as 94th Aero Squadrons are owned by this group I would very much tend to agree.

Nepenthe,on the CA coast in Big Sur.

The Bay Club at the Kapalua Bay Hotel on Maui.

Could agree more about the Signature Room. http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/frown.gif

That's why I only go to the Signature Lounge -- the 96th floor bar with the same view.

Space Needle in Seattle. Reunion in Dallas.

Anything that rotates and Tavern on the Green in NYC.

Better question: what restaurant with a view has food that DOESN'T suck?

Alize -- French gourmet at the Palms. Gorgeous food and fine food.

Heard the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas has at least acceptable choices -- quite a compliment for a tower eatery.

The restaurant on top of the Fairmont Tower Hotel in SFO.

Centerpoint Buffet restaurant in Sydney.

While the view is really wonderful, and most of the food is OK, they time your meal...you practically have to sit on each others laps and getting up and getting to the buffet line is quite difficult.

Only been there for champagne and the view. Guess I should've eaten! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

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More Room Throughout Coach: the Website of Free Miles and Free Markets

skies in KC

Encounter at LAX.

Fun and Yum!

Just two restaurants that come to mind that have great views and great food (and great service for that matter): Vong in the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and the restaurant on the top floor of The Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul, Korea.

Great view and great food -

Pacific Edge restaurant at the Highlands Inn, Carmel, CA

Ventana Inn - Big Sur, CA

[This message has been edited by JerryFF (edited 10-28-2002).]

Ditto on Encounter... and whomever was in charge of designing the place gets FOUR PAWS UP from me!!!! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

But on the other spectrum... among the worst high rise dining experiences: the restauarnt at the top of the CN Tower. One of the most rude waiters I ever had, overpriced and poor food.

The Peak Cafe (under old and new managements) and actually most of the places at The Peak, Hong Kong.

Fantastic views, expensive prices, plain food.

A few years ago, my wife and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary at the Coeurr d'Alene Resort in northern Idaho. Not only a stunning view of the lake, mountains and trees covered in a deep snow but a restaurant with a superb menu and wine list:

http://www.cdaresort.com/beverlys.asp

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Bay Tower Room in Boston has great food and a great view.

Space Needle doesn't just have bad food, it's actually inedible. However, if you go for breakfast, $10.95, includes the $8.00 elevator ride to the T-shirt shop. So essentially for $2.95 you get a table and unlimited coffee while you watch the rain.

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lili,
shopping her way to first class

Re: Encounter.. fun! But yum??

Good view and fantastic food: Llewellyn's, top of Harvey's Resort, South Lake Tahoe. Absolutely perfect meal and a summer sunset at the Lake is phenomenal.

Agreeded, top of the Reenion Tower in Dallas is spectacular. I've been there many times, food is good and view is even better.

Jone's Landing on Peaks Island, Maine. The food is ok pub food, nothing special, but not bad. The view of Casco Bay and the Portland skyline and the lobster and fishing boats returning to Portland Harbor at sunset is priceless. Peaks Island is a great little day trip. The 20 minute ferry costs less than $6 round trip from the Old Port. They rent bikes on the island, which has a nice approximately 5 mile loop around the island. Often times you can see deer. We like to play hookey on summer Firday afternoons and head to Peaks, rent a tandem bike, get a bottle of cheap champagne from the Peaks grocer, and end up the afternoon/evening at Jones Landing while waiting for the ferry back. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

I have to disagree on Antare's (top of Reunion Tower in Dallas)... yuck! Another great Dallas view with horrid food... Baby Doe's.

OTOH, I love the Nana Grill.

Haven't tried the place at the Adam's Mark yet.

Been to the The Space Needle in Seattle twice. Had a great view both times at sunset...could see all the way out to MT Ranier to the South and watch the sunset on the horizon to the West. The food on the other hand was something less than desireable. Expensive and bland.

Ditto!



[This message has been edited by RS (edited 01-27-2003).]

Wonderful view & good food (or cocktails):
Singapore Swissotel (formerly Westin Stamford)

The Top of the World in Stratosphere Tower, Las Vegas. Very much overpriced, but gorgeous view of the Strip @ night.

The Chart House in Weehawken NJ.

Since we've had 2 different questions asked....(great view/bad food and great view/great food)....make sure we know which it is. Thanks!

I was very happy with the food at the top of the New Otani in Tokyo. I was there on the night of the Chinese buffet. About $60 for a buffet, 9 years ago, but it was outstanding, IMHO.

excellent food and view

Bali by the Sea at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu

Michels at the W on Queen's Beach in Waikiki

Roys at Hawaii Kai (oahu)

Kincaids in Ward Warehouse outside Waikiki
(have the creme brulee and any fresh fish)

just to name a few

Put me down as another vote for Encounter. I have fond memories of meeting there for dinner prior to long int'l trips.

The Wendy's with the best view in the world . . . large dining area, big picture windows of the flame trees, ironwood trees, palm trees, beach, lagoon, reef, ocean, boats . . . had to have been the Wendy's on Saipan.

Sadly, it closed in 2000, but has reopened as a Taco Maker. (!)

It's on Beach Road in South Garapan.

Agree with the Highlands Inn! spent our honeymoon there in 1982 and have been back since and is a little pricey but still good. I thought the food at centerpoint in Sydney was horrible,but the view was nice. The food at the Merchants Court Hotel just down the street was very good. Also can't go wrong at the top of the mark s.f.

Carnelian Room atop the B.ofA. Building in San Francisco is good.


What kind of a view though? What on earth would one want to look out at in Las Vegas???

Great View, Lousy Food Category
 

Great view of the Potomac and place to be seen, but terrible service and nothing more than a TGI Fridays: Sequoia in Georgetown/Washington DC

I was at Sheerwater last week at the Hotel del Coronado. Food was okay, but service was abysmal. I have been there in the AM for breakfast which is a bountiful buffet and so I would recommend it for breakfast only. But what a spectacular view of the pacific.

The same can be said for most Chart House Restaurants.


Jay, aka 1095