Food Faves...

Here's a very random and haphazard list that I've come with. This is a list of some of my favorite restaurants and meals and such. These are simply the best that I've encountered so far and are based solely on my humble opinion and nothing else.

Best Italian
Bacco (Southfield, MI)

Best Meal Ever
Trio (Evanston, IL - 21 Course Tasting Menu)

Best Individual Dish
12 Hour Braised Pork Belly (Blackbird- Chicago, IL)

Best Breakfast
Bill's (Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Austrralia- The scrambled eggs are a life-changing event...seriously)

Most Overpriced Bar
Whiskey Blue (Manhattan)

Best Bar Burger
Miller's Bar (Dearborn, MI)

Best Burger
Some little divey ice cream place near North Platte, Nebraska.

Best Mexican (Detroit)
Agave

Best Mexican (anwhere)
Frontera Grill/Topolobampo (Chicago)

Best Clam Chowder (New England style)
Moe's (Lincoln City, OR)

Best Fast Food- Mexican
Taco Time (West coast)

Best Fast Food- Burgers
Arctic Circle (West coast)

Best Restaurant- Detroit area
Cuisine

Best Middle Eastern
Al-Ameer (Dearborn, MI)

Best Hot Dog
Nathan's Famous (New York- multiple locations)

Best Ice Cream
Some small family owned place in Grants Pass, OR

Best Sushi (Detroit area)
Little Tree (Royal Oak, MI)

Best Sushi (anywhere)
Bridgewater Mill Restaurant (Adelaide Hills, SA, Australia)

Best Pasta
A little place on Lake Lugano in the tiny ancient town of Gandria in Kanton Ticino, Switzerland.

Best Pizza
Still trying to find it. Most New York pizza is pretty darn good. I had some great pizza in Switzerland too. The best pizza is thin and fired in a wood-burning oven. Not a lot of great pizza in Michigan. I haven't been to Naples yet for the perfect pizza Margherita.

Best Chinese (Detroit area)
Hong Hua (Farmington Hills, MI- Mon Jin Lau in Troy kicks ass too)

Best Turkish
Alan Manor (Windsor, ON, Canada- It has reopened with a new name)

Best Indian
Priya (Farmington Hills/Troy, MI)

Best Desserts (Fancy)
Cuisine (Detroit, MI)

Best Desserts (Less fancy)
Traffic Jam and Snug (Detroit, MI)

Best 24-hour joint
National Coney Island (any location)

Best 24-hour joint ever that isn't open any more
Andoni's

Best Steak
Les Halles Brasserie (New York)

Best Prime Rib
J Alexander's (various locations)

Best Milkshake
Calder Brothers Dairy (Lincoln Park, MI)

Best Eggnog
Calder Brothers Dairy (Lincoln Park, MI)

Best Smoked Salmon
Any hot-smoked salmon sold by a fisherman off any Oregon pier.

Best Soups
The private club where I used to work.

Best "American" Food
Zingerman's Roadhouse (Ann Arbor, MI)

Best Vietnamese (Detroit area)
Annam (Dearborn, MI)

Best Vietnamese (Anywhere)
Anywhere in Australia. Or any street cart springroll vendor at the Oregon state capital building in Salem.

Best Venison
This cafe in the Swiss Alps near the Gotthard pass.

Best Australian Restaurant (not in Australia)
Public (In the Nolita district of Manhattan)

Most Overrated Restaurant (Detroit area)
Opus One

Best Dessert Souffle
Cuisine

Worst Service
Majestic Cafe/Traffic Jam and Snug - TIE

Best Small Plates
Vinotecca (Royal Oak, MI)

Best Duck (magret)
The Earle (Ann Arbor, MI)

Best Roast Duck
Steve and Rocky's (Novi, MI)

Best Eclectic
Traffic Jam and Snug (Detroit)

Best Sweetbreads
The Earle (Ann Arbor, MI)

Best Deli
Zingerman's (Ann Arbor, MI)

Best Margaritas (anywhere)
Frontera Grill (Chicago)

Best Margaritas (Detroit area)
Agave Grill

Best Roesti
The Feldschlossen brew house in Zurich, Switzerland

Best Brewhouse for Food
Bonfire Bistro (Northville, MI)

Best Sausage Rolls
A small cafe on George Street in the Rocks district of Sydney

Best Vegemite Roll
At a small bakery in Broken Hill, NSW, Australia. (In the Outback- the same town where they filmed the bar scene from The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert)

Best Aussie Wine List
The Melbourne Wine Room at the George Hotel in Melbourne, Australia

Best Restaurant Decor
Botanical (Melbourne, Australia)

Most overpriced and underperforming steak
Ruth's Chris (various locations)

Best place to grab a croissant or baguette and a cup of coffee
Adelaide Central Market (assorted stalls- Adelaide, Australia)

Best Winery Restaurant
Bridgewater Mill Restaurant (Adelaide Hills, Australia)

Best Restaurant (Australia)
Bridgewater Mill Restaurant (Adelaide Hills, Australia)

Best Winery Meal
Chateau Reynella (Adelaide, Australia), Yalumba Menzies Wine Room (Coonawarra, SA, Australia)- TIE

Best B&B
Kalangadoo House (Kalangadoo, SA, Australia- near Coonawarra at Mt. Gambier)

Best comfort food
Anything my mom makes

Cheers,
Jason

ITMFA!