Zagat Survey Discussions

A new restaurant called "Wild Ginger" opened on E 51st between 2nd and 3th aves. Food is great...portions are generous. Nothing fancy or exceptionally creative but a terrific find in midtown. I thought of the Wild Ginger in the West Village and wondered about this place......

While I have never went to Townsends in SF...I totally agree with you in missing Scandia in LA...loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And also Blums...a favorite of mine in both NY and LA. There is nothing like either of them anymore.

Great topic. Liu's in Beverly Hills had amazing Chinese food in an elegant setting that used to be Romanoff's. Tokyo Kai Kan, downtown L.A. for shabu-shabu. Metropolitan in Charlettesville, VA and Emeril's in Atlanta were restaurants that defined the cities for us. They were worth the drive from North Carolina. And after trying to recapture the hospitality and food in Orlando and Las Vegas, we have sworn off Emeril for good.

Oh my, that's a blast from my past. Arthurs 27 was THE first fine restaurant my husband and I experienced in the Disney area 20+ years ago. I agree on food and service and we did get to experience the fireworks as well. But, alas, we started staying on Disney property and found the wonderful restaurants there and never returned to Arthurs 27! Thanks for the reminder.

Apperitivo on W. 56th, NYC - Veal Chops, Fettuccini, Key Lime Pie, Veal Piccata. What great NY neighborhood restaurants used to be, which has been exceedingly harder to find with all the modern cleverness and PR that permeates the dining scene.

The Buccaneer, Long Boat Key, FL.- Tie up your boat after a long day sailing for Smoked Prime Rib and great martinis in an exceedingly fun atmosphere.

The Carribean Room of the Pontchartrain Hotel, New Orleans- Superior Creole food in fabulously elegant surroundings. One of the best service staffs ever, under the watchful eye of the iconic Matre d' hotel, Mr. Douglas.

Fourno's Ovens, The Stanford Court Hotel, SF- One of the first important restaurants to embrace and promote the then fledgling boutique wine industry in CA (some are household names today). Jim Nassikas's incredible eye for detail (one of the best table settings in an American Restaurant) and insistence on excellence was unsurpassed.

ate there many times as a kid. cross county shopping center. a real treat.

i hear you. totally agree. not the same

Loved Mme. Romaine de Lyon! Great omelets, but my favorite part was the menu. This photocopied (mimeographed?) sheet in cursive handwriting that listed the ingredients in each of the 500 omelets. One line would say jambon, oignons, fromage, tomates, and the next line would say jambon, oignons, fromage, tomates purees. On and on like that. And each one had a different name! Totally inefficient. Very French.

In NYC, I miss Cite. Terrific wine dinners. Celebrated many happy occasions with family and friends in this restaurant. Delicious frites with a "side" of filet mignon and fabulous wines and champagne. What more could I want?!! 

Mr. Babbington's on the Upper West Side. Homey southern cooking -- nothing great, but the service was beyond warm and the Monday night two-for-one dinner was a great deal. The welcome that was extended by the staff was unequaled in the city, with the exception of Lutece under Andre Soltner.

Does anyone remember "The London Chop House" of Detroit.  You
could always count on a Rolls Royce or a Bentley to be parked outside
and celebrities to come a callin'. It was the only place I ate fresh pear
sorbet for dessert. [The main course was Chateaubriand, of course.]
- CSP

In Chicago, Aigre Doux & Le Lan, alas!

Cafe Des Artistes -- as others have noted
Horn & Hardart
Marie's (?) Lunch Room on Madison -- was that its name? Totally old NY
Claire's at 6th & Houston

I always miss the restaurant that i was a cook at. When they close, it feels like a phase of my life is closed.
Montrachet (NYC)
The Ryland Inn (NJ)
The Dining Room at Short Hills (NJ)
Pierres (NJ)
The ones that closed over the years that were never really replaced...
the original Boulet and Le Cirque... But when places close (and closing they are) new places open, new chefs are made, and the food evolves.

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Always keep an open mind and stomach.

Paru's Vegetarian Indian Restaurant at 2010 S, just above DuPont Circle in DC. To go there again and have Marsala Dosai with a Sweet Lassi would be heaven! I hadn't been to India before it closed, but based on Indian food I've had in Sri Lanka it was spot-on - served on styrofoam, dirt cheap, and always a treat. I heard the landlord forced them out to go up-market - a crying shame!