Rest of U.S. Formal & Casual Dining

                                       San Francisco

Manresa - Chef David Kinch is an ambitious man. A veteran of NYC’s Quilted Giraffe, as well as a number of Europe’s finest kitchens, he has joined Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz in the club of American chefs who serve large, multicourse tasting menus. When I visited his Los Gatos restaurant in September, he plied us with 18 courses, and I've heard that they have gone as high as 25. The eclectic cuisine ranges from a perfect mackerel flown in from Japan served sushi style to a twice-cooked foie gras in a quince consommé, watercress “soup” with Iranian caviar, and various meats slowly braised or prepared sous vide. Manresa reminds of New York's Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Worth the 55-mile trip down from San Francisco and a much easier reservation to get than The French Laundry. This is a restaurant worth watching. The volume of courses pushes this score up a notch. A-

David Kinch's Watercress Vichyssoise with Iranian Osetra Caviar

Fifth Floor - What passes for haute cuisine when you’re not in NYC. Chef Laurent Gras is an Alain Ducasse alumnus, and you can see the influence in his cuisine although what he served us at the Fifth Floor was somewhat richer than what you would see at a Ducasse restaurant. I had a pretty good meal here, but I understand that Gras has since departed the restaurant. It reminded me of The Square in London. Good service. B+ 

Squab Breast with Sesame, Sweet-Sour Jus and Squab Dumplings at Fifth Floor

Delfina - Italian trattoria in the Mission District run by Craig Stoll who is an Oliveto alumnus. A favorite among my friends who live in San Francisco, this restaurant specializes in sourcing top-quality local ingredients. I’ve only been once, but I thought my meal last September was unremarkable. Maybe I need to eat a few meals to develop a taste for the local terroir. Very cramped quarters makes eating there difficult. B

Zuni Cafe – A San Francisco institution. Somewhere between the Union Square Café, the Café at Chez Panisse, and Odeon in Manhattan. Go for some oysters and a burger. Or if you’re really hungry, try the famous roast chicken, where Chef Judy Rodgers stuffs garlic and thyme under the skin. After salting, she refrigerates it overnight, and then roasts it in a wood-burning oven. The result is a bird that is moist and has a deep chicken flavor. A restaurant that is as much about the people watching as it is about the food. B

Slanted Door - The space in the new Ferry Terminal building is great. Unfortunately, the food lacks the necessary level of intensity to match the surroundings. It’s a shame—that’s what happens when you gain in popularity and size. Maybe it will rebound after they get more comfortable in their new setting. Another negative is that it can get unbelievably noisy. B-

Shaking Beef: Cubed Filet Mignon with Garlic and Organic Red Onions

Ton Kiang – San Franciscans take their dim sum seriously and well they should. With Ton Kiang, Yank Sing and Harbor Village, they have three different places that contend for the best dim sum in the country. If I were to take a poll, more people I know would claim that Ton Kiang serves the best dim sum in the city. But as you might suspect, I found otherwise. Not that TK was bad; in fact, they served some pea shoots that were out of this world. But I still think based on my prior meals that I prefer Yank Sing (this was a number of years ago; I have not visited Yank Sing in their new location). C+

Yuet Lee - An old school favorite of mine at the corner of Stockton and Broadway. The crab just wasn’t as good as I remember it. Too bad I wasn’t there in Dungeness season. C- 

Salt and Pepper Crab at Yuet Lee

                                                            Chicago

Tru - One of the most disappointing meals of 2004. On paper the menu reads as if Rick Tramanto can cook at the same high level as the country’s top chefs. But the restaurant turned out to be more style than substance; what you will find here is a kitchen with a proficiency level that is no better than an upper-middle restaurant. As a result, the entire dining experience at Tru feels disjointed. I was there in September and I had a nine course tasting menu, and seven of the courses just didn’t cut it. C

Tru’s Caviar Staircase

 

                                                   Miami                    

Nobu - The Nobu formula travels well. I had good meals at both the South Beach  and London locations in 2004. Considering how jam-packed both of the restaurants were, one would think that Nobu could allow the quality to deteriorate and nobody would notice. But he seems to have maintained his standards in spite of the popularity, and Nobu hits like shrimp and caviar topped with a garlic-shiso sauce, crab in a creamy spicy sauce, and miso-marinated black cod were all delicious. This was the best meal I had last year in what is now a deteriorating Miami restaurant scene. B+

                                                                                           

Azul - When I ate at Azul last March, the food was carefully thought through. The problem was in the execution, which was less than exact and less than inspired. Still, there was something about Michelle Bernstein's cuisine that appealed to me. But now I understand she has left the restaurant, and I haven't heard any reports about her replacement. B 

Cacao - Coral Gables Nuevo-Latino restaurant with a bit of a creative flair. I had read that they used chocolate in many of the dishes, hence the name. I was always a fan of Douglas Rodriguez, who originated this style of cuisine. When he first came on the scene at Yuca, which also happened to be located in Coral Gables, contemporary Latino cuisine was exciting. Since his departure from the Miami area, I have been looking for someone who could replace him. Last year I paid this restaurant a quick visit before going to the airport, and I had an enjoyable meal. No chocolate though, except for the desserts. But I’m going to try it again later this month—maybe it will become one of my regular stops in Miami. B-

Norman's - All it takes is opening another location or two, and if you don’t have the right type of management and kitchen help, your restaurant goes right down the crapper. And so it goes for Norman’s, a restaurant I have eaten at annually for the last seven or eight years and where I've had some of my best meals in the U.S. But sometime between 2003 and 2004, Norman’s underwent a transformation. In the past Chef Norman Van Aiken was always present. But this time he wasn’t there, and the food seemed more like what they serve you at a branch of a famous restaurant, where the cooking is done by someone without the vision and talent of the owner. What a shame. This is a restaurant where I've had A- meals. Recent reports say it is back on form, and when I go to Miami in a few weeks I am going to give it another try. I hope I'm not making a mistake. C+

Tuscan Steak - They do a credible job at this South Beach theme-style restaurant with a menu that revolves around pasta and huge steaks and chops served family style. If you go with a large party, you are bound to have fun. It’s a perfect place to go with your family when you’re on vacation. C+

Graziano's Parrilla Argentina - Argentinean restaurant on Bird Road in South Miami with an authentic parrilla as you enter the restaurant. I didn't find the Argentinean-imported, grass-fed steaks to be exceptional, but the quality of the U.S.-raised ribeye and gigantic short ribs were both very good. Fantastic wine list. One of the best in the country with numerous cherries from the U.S. and Europe. C+

Yambo - Funky Nicaraguan café on Miami’s Calle Ocho. Go for the antijotas de Nicaragua platter featuring fried chunks of pork, strips of charcoal-grilled beef, rice-laden blood sausage, and other Central American goodies, and I promise you that within the hour you will need a siesta from the carbs. Dirt cheap. C-

                                                 New Orleans

Emeril's - I wasn't even going to reserve here. But we were going to be in New Orleans on a Sunday night and the choices are somewhat limited. Fortunately, there's a happy ending, because I ate surprisingly well at this locally inspired upper-middle restaurant. One has to give Emeril credit. America's favorite chef could be serving canned food and people would still be lining up to eat at his restaurant. But this still has the feel of a place where the boss is making sure that the kitchen is still turning out an inspired version of Emeril's New Orleans–influenced upper-middle cuisine. Excellent service and very good wine list add to the experience. B

Bayona - I was surprised at how quiet this restaurant was on a Saturday night at the end of March. And the menu seemed a bit long in the tooth as well. They did serve us a dish of sweetbreads, but the rest of the meal wasn't particularly distinguished, and it certainly didn't seem to express the cuisine of New Orleans I any significant way. B-

Camellia Grill - This diner at the far reaches of the Garden District is famous for its omelets where the eggs are beaten in a malted mixer. The result is an egg batter as light as feathers that the countermen, who could be characters of out of a Blues Brothers movie, spread out over a hot griddle. It's only a minute before they add the other ingredients, and then they fold it up to make one of America’s best and fluffiest omelet. C+

Central Grocery - What a racket they have here. I waited on line for 25 minutes for a muffaleta sandwich, really nothing more than an Italian cold cut hero sandwich served on a round roll and topped with the housemade giardiniera, which are Italian-style pickled vegetables. I wish I could say it wasn't worth it, but I can't. Excellent sandwich and a good New Orleans experience that everyone should have at least once. C+

                                                   Mississippi

Doe's Eat Place - After 25 years of anticipation, this past year I finally made it to the original Doe's in Greenville, Mississippi. Needless to say, as with most things that you dream about, it didn’t live up to expectations. Over the years I had read so many articles that claimed that Doe's served among the best, if not the best, steaks in America. Well, of course, it turned out that it wasn’t true. Doe's serves extra-large cuts of Choice, not Prime, beef, and a three-pound porterhouse steak only costs $39. And the famous tamales that they sell in coffee cans didn't live up to their reputation either. However, the food wasn't all that bad, and the place was a piece of Americana that can’t be replicated or comprehended unless you go see it for yourself. And the fact that we were out-of-towners, Manhattanites no less, had the staff fawning all over us. Loads of fun and highly recommended for the classic ambiance. C+

Abe's - Located at the crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi. I'm not talking about the intersection of Route 66 and Highway 12 here, I'm talking about THE crossroads as in where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. Unfortunately, Abe should have followed Johnson’s lead and sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the ability to turn out some decent barbecue. An acceptable lunch if you're visiting the nearby Blues Museum, but not something to go out of your way for. D

                                                    Memphis

Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous - If this wasn't the most disappointing meal of 2004, it was close. Living in New York City, I don't get to eat good ribs that often. So when my family planned a trip that included a stop in Memphis, it gave me the chance to visit one of the country's most famous rib places. Too bad what I found there was downright depressing. A Blarney Stone decor and barbecued ribs that were nearly tasteless. Same for the beef brisket. You're better off eating at Bobby Rubino's where the ribs are better than what they serve at the Rendezvous. F

Comments

[Maesie]

As a native Memphian I'm saddened every time someone's bar-b-q dreams are crushed by the Rendezvous. If you ever get back to Memphis try Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Que - no dry rub shinanigans there. Besides ribs they do amazing things with turkey, and everything is served with a piece of white bread on the side. Yes.

[sarah]

next stop...l.a.?!?!

[Steve Plotnicki]

I'll make it to L.A. eventually. I think it's been 6 years since I've been there.

[Shauna]

Oh, I think you got a hold of some bad ribs! The dry rib at the Rendezvous is marvelous!! I am a Memphian and I think the Rendezvous is fabulous!!

[Steve Plotnicki]

Could be. Many years ago someone I did business with in Memphis sent me Rendezvous ribs by Fedex and they were terrific. Unfortunately these were awful.