"Local" Unique Restaurants to Die for... (non-chain)
Jul 19, 2007, 1:13 pm
#1
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: New Jersey
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"Local" Unique Restaurants to Die for... (non-chain)
In the spirit of the chain fast food restaurant thread, I'd like to know all the local places people enjoy visiting that are "UNIQUE" to that area...
I'll start:
Cubby's BBQ: 249 S River St, Hackensack, NJ
has outstanding ribs and my favorite bacon burger delux, for $10 bux you get like half a cow on a burger patty and a bag of potatoes in fries to definitely fill you up right.
White Mana: 358 River St, Hackensack, NJ
is the original white castle type burger joint, right on the Hackensack river in an old train car with tight seating area surrounding the stove where tiny burgers are made right in front of you... get like 4 or 6 to satisfy your taste buds
Seafood Gourmet: 103 W Pleasant Ave, Maywood, NJ
if you love fresh seafood this place is awesome, not just for takeout but to dine in as well. Their New England clam chowder is better than the one I tried in Boston itself, and thier crab or shrimp salad is always fresh.
Now for some places outside of NYC/North Jersey I've been to recently:
Mark's Texas Hots: 487 Monroe Ave, Rochester, NY
recommended by a few western new yorkers right on flyer talk... I visited it last january at like midnight and it definitely hit the spot with their "garbage plate" I can't say this is a sophisticated dish as I'm sure many of us in some crazy hunger rage have put a plate together from things readily available in the kitchen but these folks actually put it on their menu... good stuff!
Heart Attack Grill: 440 W Warner Rd, Tempe, AZ
this place too was highly recommended by people on my car forums... i had a hard time finding it on my west coast trip but as I was getting lost I spotted like two dozen chicks trying out for the cardinals cheerleaders squad so it was a great detour... be sure to try their Tripple Bypass Surgery burger with fries cooked in pure lard... or better yet now they offer the Quadrupple Bypass Surgery!
The Bear Pit: 10825 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mission Hills, CA
I went to this pornstar capital with a buddy of mine on my west coast road trip who highly recommended their BBQ sauce... I have to agree it was delicious and fairly unique, if you like Missouri style BBQ.
Le Tub Saloon: 1100 N Ocean Dr, Hollywood, FL
this joint serves burgers almost exactly like the ones at Cubby's in Jersey, but with a different twist. The place is set up with an interesting theme of old benches that reminded me of my grandma's barn back in Ukraine, and flowers growing from toilet bowls was kinda neat too... best part is its location right on the Intercoastal.
Sopranos Pizza: 651 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, (South Beach) FL
this is not to be confused with the Paisanos Diner across the street... they are a fairly small joint next to a bunch of clubs on Washington, but I really enjoy their BBQ Chicken sicilian pizza...
I'm sure there's a ton more places I would recommend, just can't thing of them right now... will post more, and am looking forward to other people's recommendations!
--Russ
I'll start:
Cubby's BBQ: 249 S River St, Hackensack, NJ
has outstanding ribs and my favorite bacon burger delux, for $10 bux you get like half a cow on a burger patty and a bag of potatoes in fries to definitely fill you up right.
White Mana: 358 River St, Hackensack, NJ
is the original white castle type burger joint, right on the Hackensack river in an old train car with tight seating area surrounding the stove where tiny burgers are made right in front of you... get like 4 or 6 to satisfy your taste buds
Seafood Gourmet: 103 W Pleasant Ave, Maywood, NJ
if you love fresh seafood this place is awesome, not just for takeout but to dine in as well. Their New England clam chowder is better than the one I tried in Boston itself, and thier crab or shrimp salad is always fresh.
Now for some places outside of NYC/North Jersey I've been to recently:
Mark's Texas Hots: 487 Monroe Ave, Rochester, NY
recommended by a few western new yorkers right on flyer talk... I visited it last january at like midnight and it definitely hit the spot with their "garbage plate" I can't say this is a sophisticated dish as I'm sure many of us in some crazy hunger rage have put a plate together from things readily available in the kitchen but these folks actually put it on their menu... good stuff!
Heart Attack Grill: 440 W Warner Rd, Tempe, AZ
this place too was highly recommended by people on my car forums... i had a hard time finding it on my west coast trip but as I was getting lost I spotted like two dozen chicks trying out for the cardinals cheerleaders squad so it was a great detour... be sure to try their Tripple Bypass Surgery burger with fries cooked in pure lard... or better yet now they offer the Quadrupple Bypass Surgery!
The Bear Pit: 10825 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mission Hills, CA
I went to this pornstar capital with a buddy of mine on my west coast road trip who highly recommended their BBQ sauce... I have to agree it was delicious and fairly unique, if you like Missouri style BBQ.
Le Tub Saloon: 1100 N Ocean Dr, Hollywood, FL
this joint serves burgers almost exactly like the ones at Cubby's in Jersey, but with a different twist. The place is set up with an interesting theme of old benches that reminded me of my grandma's barn back in Ukraine, and flowers growing from toilet bowls was kinda neat too... best part is its location right on the Intercoastal.
Sopranos Pizza: 651 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, (South Beach) FL
this is not to be confused with the Paisanos Diner across the street... they are a fairly small joint next to a bunch of clubs on Washington, but I really enjoy their BBQ Chicken sicilian pizza...
I'm sure there's a ton more places I would recommend, just can't thing of them right now... will post more, and am looking forward to other people's recommendations!
--Russ
Jul 19, 2007, 1:32 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: New Jersey
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almost forgot about today's lunch..
Pancho’s Burritos: 214 Main St, New Milford, NJ
these guys make some great authentic mexican food, and that says a lot since I'm not typically a fan of mexican...
100 Percent Taquitos: 3245 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX
I'm not sure if this is a chain or not but my buddy took me there on my florida to texas road trip and they had some very unique tacos and queisadillas...
Pappas Steakhouse: 5839 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX
This was a pretty neat place to go for an evening dinning experience. Great steak.
Junior's: 386 Flatbush Avenue Extension at Dekalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
I usually go to this place when I visit my sister at LIU... this place got excellent burgers but the main attraction of course is their cheesecakes! They have several locations in NYC.
This is a hit or miss with some people who like it for food or thier bar but I'm a big fan of Houstons... both their Hackensack, NJ location and the Pompano Beach, FL location right on Intercoastal... awesome fries, and the salad has some unique seasoning on it always.
--Russ
these guys make some great authentic mexican food, and that says a lot since I'm not typically a fan of mexican...
100 Percent Taquitos: 3245 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX
I'm not sure if this is a chain or not but my buddy took me there on my florida to texas road trip and they had some very unique tacos and queisadillas...
Pappas Steakhouse: 5839 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX
This was a pretty neat place to go for an evening dinning experience. Great steak.
Junior's: 386 Flatbush Avenue Extension at Dekalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
I usually go to this place when I visit my sister at LIU... this place got excellent burgers but the main attraction of course is their cheesecakes! They have several locations in NYC.
This is a hit or miss with some people who like it for food or thier bar but I'm a big fan of Houstons... both their Hackensack, NJ location and the Pompano Beach, FL location right on Intercoastal... awesome fries, and the salad has some unique seasoning on it always.
--Russ
Jul 19, 2007, 1:58 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2007
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Mini Bar at Cafe Atlantico in DC
Take a minute and look over the website for this place - especially the "images" tab. the stuff takes your breath away...like foie gras cottoncandy!!!
^^
Take a minute and look over the website for this place - especially the "images" tab. the stuff takes your breath away...like foie gras cottoncandy!!!
^^
Jul 19, 2007, 2:20 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: BWI
Programs: AA PLT and that's that!
Posts: 8,349
Mark's Texas Hots: 487 Monroe Ave, Rochester, NY
recommended by a few western new yorkers right on flyer talk... I visited it last january at like midnight and it definitely hit the spot with their "garbage plate" I can't say this is a sophisticated dish as I'm sure many of us in some crazy hunger rage have put a plate together from things readily available in the kitchen but these folks actually put it on their menu... good stuff!
recommended by a few western new yorkers right on flyer talk... I visited it last january at like midnight and it definitely hit the spot with their "garbage plate" I can't say this is a sophisticated dish as I'm sure many of us in some crazy hunger rage have put a plate together from things readily available in the kitchen but these folks actually put it on their menu... good stuff!
Jul 19, 2007, 2:26 pm
#5
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Eastside Cafe - Austin, TX - Definitely an interesting experience. A lot of the veggies are grown on site and the atmosphere is fantastic. Great soups, salads, and fish options!
El Chile Cafe - Austin, TX - A different take on Tex Mex. A roasted salsa is served with chips. Great drink options and some really cool entrees.
El Chile Cafe - Austin, TX - A different take on Tex Mex. A roasted salsa is served with chips. Great drink options and some really cool entrees.
Jul 20, 2007, 7:02 am
#7
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Indian Harbour Beach, Fla, USA
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BO's Fish Wagon in Key West, FL.
Great grouper sandwiches and other seafood. And in any other city in America, the health department would have about twelve heart attacks.
Great grouper sandwiches and other seafood. And in any other city in America, the health department would have about twelve heart attacks.
Jul 20, 2007, 7:55 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: New Jersey
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Mini Bar at Cafe Atlantico in DC
Take a minute and look over the website for this place - especially the "images" tab. the stuff takes your breath away...like foie gras cottoncandy!!!
^^
Take a minute and look over the website for this place - especially the "images" tab. the stuff takes your breath away...like foie gras cottoncandy!!!
^^
Speaking of expensive, the Skylon at Niagara Falls in Ontario is pretty neat... $50 bux for just about any entre, or you can order soup and salad and pay the $10 elevation fee... the views are spectacular!
BO's Fish Wagon in Key West, FL.
Great grouper sandwiches and other seafood. And in any other city in America, the health department would have about twelve heart attacks.
Great grouper sandwiches and other seafood. And in any other city in America, the health department would have about twelve heart attacks.
--Russ
almost forgot...
Jul 20, 2007, 10:08 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: SNA, LAX
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Posts: 1,293
Trabuco Canyon Steakhouse Most unique steakhouse in Orange county.
Jul 20, 2007, 11:47 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Posts: 7,236
Gasthaus Essers (http://essers-gasthaus.de/) in Cologne, Germany. It's still a brilliant combo of Austrian, German and Mediterranean influences on the menu and wine list and prices are remarkaby civil.
Jul 20, 2007, 11:50 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Indian Harbour Beach, Fla, USA
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Originally Posted by JerseyVics;
...so maybe I'll try BO's... is it on Duval Street?
--Russ
--Russ
Jul 20, 2007, 7:10 pm
#15
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 4
Mortons Steak House, hands down the best!!!
I've eaten at Luegers, I've eaten at Ruths, Smith & Wolensky, Ben Bensons, etc... Mortons is the best in the business.
By the way, up on 57th street in Manhattan was Al's International Soup Kitchen. I used to get the soup a few times a week for years. Then he sold out and now there's an "Original Soup Man" popping up everywhere. The soups are supposedly the same recipies but anyone who had the 57th version knows immediately that the new version is only an expensive imitation.
That being said, the soup is still very good and worth trying out if you have the opportunity. It's just nothing like it used to be.
I've eaten at Luegers, I've eaten at Ruths, Smith & Wolensky, Ben Bensons, etc... Mortons is the best in the business.
By the way, up on 57th street in Manhattan was Al's International Soup Kitchen. I used to get the soup a few times a week for years. Then he sold out and now there's an "Original Soup Man" popping up everywhere. The soups are supposedly the same recipies but anyone who had the 57th version knows immediately that the new version is only an expensive imitation.
That being said, the soup is still very good and worth trying out if you have the opportunity. It's just nothing like it used to be.