The restaurants I've been to!

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Wic, my bacon roll moment was on long walk, back to the campervan in the Trossachs.
I remember really wanting 2 but forcing myself not to. It was perfect.

My fond bistrot moment was my sister's birthday in Lille, out of season.
12 adults, in the Renaissance Bistrot in the old quarter/ red light district. We ate there every night from their set menu.
Unphased by our numbers, drifting in and out at different times.

Their local dish is a cold rabbit plate. That my BIL almost ordered, not knowing what it was, but impressively remembering the name from the tourist bus trip narrative.
He was guided gently away from his choice by the waiter, and had steak freets instead.

[Joanbunting Profile]

When we were travelling round France in the early days in the Renault 4s with 2 kids and not very much money we nearly always had our meals at any establishment which had masses of local cars and/or HGVs in the car park. We were almost never disappointed and the childre were always welcomed.

One evening very late after a horendous drive through the Gorge du Tarn with 2 other friends in their identical Renault. The seating was at long tables and there wasn't a menu. Huge bowls of pates arrived in front of us each with a knife stuck into it. Then a huge jar of cornichons with wooden pinchers to fish them out and a board with a country loaf and a lethal looking bread knife. Litre bottles of red and white were added We tucked in happily thinking thay it was a generous supper. But that wasn't all. The pate was removed and a deep casserole containing pot roast quails - still with their heads appeared and another of chipsalong with a dish of garlicky green beans an another of chips. I descreetly removed the heads before serving the kids and they tucked in happily.

That still wasn't all, A basket of cheeses arrived and we were told to help ourselves. Finally when we thought we wouldn't ever move again the cheese was replaced by a tray of assorted fruit tarts and again we were instructed to help ourselves. We had one each and Madame was really worried that we hadn't eaten more and was anything wrong and would les enfants prefer ive cream. They found room!
This would be in 1979 and we still have the bill - scribbled on a paper napkin. It was for the equivalent of just under £9.00 for the 6 of us.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Good God! 9 quid.

I can't beat that! Oh, hang on.
Lobster on the beach in Lombok. £5 in total. And an American woman was arguing with staff over her bill. Cringe.

[Lusciouslush Profile]

but there is an excellent bistrot in Calais called Histoire Ancienne.

We stopped off there many times after our big 'Calais shop' ( memories - doesn't happen any more!) Binky & it is an excellent Bistro, but the last time we were there I was very unwell with the start of a kidney infection & never went back - nothing to do with the resto but the memory of how ill I felt sitting there is still very vivid - strange thing the mind!

I’ve just been told I can look forward to lunch here https://www.whitehorsebrancaster.co.uk/food-drink

We ate there after a day's walking when we were staying in Hunstanton last April Suffs - lovely location & views - took some really stunning pics around that area - beautifull sunsets! Don't forget the little 'Crab Hut' down the road - no crab to be had when we were there, the season hadn't yet started - can't tell you how disappointed we were - had really geared ourselves up for a crab sandwhich & had to make do with a couple o' tubs of cockles instead - all good tho'!!

[Pepper Pig Profile]

Looks fabulous, I hope Pepper it was just one of those days. Sorry to hear of your funeral tho.

Is the only time I’ve had an average meal there and we’ve been going for years. I do hope it was a one-off as the setting is stunning.

The funeral was wonderful. Was my 96 year old uncle who’d been a Lancaster pilot and POW in the war. He’d escaped death on at least 3 occcasions and stayed in the RAF afterwards. My cousins and I spent summer holidays together in Norfolk and are still very close and is odd to know we are all in our sixties. They got the whole service just right and kept taking over from the vicar and his domineering wife who were straight out of a Bronte novel.

I don’t want to hijack the thread but he was buried in a bamboo and wicker casket as they assumed it was the greener option.in fact (they are mostly scientists and engineers other than the one who is a professional double bass player) they were amazed to discover that a basic cheap wooden coffin is better for the environment than anything else. Caskets, cardboard ones and the other compostible ones are such big business that they usually arrive with no end of plastic and other non-eco packaging.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

All this talk about The Crab Hut in Norfolk, reminded me of somewhere we've eaten in Dungeness last year for Mr Strictly's 50th birthday. It was called the Dungeness Snack Shack and the kitchen was a converted shipping container. Everyone dined al fresco (luckily it was a very hot day when we were there) and they specialised in fresh fish dishes such as lobster mayo rolls and Mexican fish flatbreads. Basically it was run by the fishermen's wives and they cooked whatever the catch of the day was. It was very informal but my goodness the food was excellent. They also served locally made ice cream in small tubs which melted into double cream rather than milk. IIRC they also sold home-made sorbets but they'd run out by the time we got there.

[Joanbunting Profile]

One of the most amazing eateries we know is also dedicated to fish. Not easy to get to because it's on Long Island Bahamas! It is called Max's Conch Bar.

It is owned and run by two old friends, has been devastated by hurricanes several times and is DS's favourite place on earth!
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_ ... hamas.html
We taught Max aka Gary and his older brother was a pupil teacher in the first school we taught at on the island. We never ever pay a bill when we go there but that's not why we love it so much.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Seafood shacks always make me think of the magical île d’Oleron on the French Atlantic coast

[dennispc Profile]

Nice idea for a thread. Yonks ago we had a meal at that converted church Gill, lovely food, poor service. Also enjoyed a meal at the one that had been an Art Deco cinema.

When we eat out these days it's generally lunch time unless someone drives us in the evening.

Pubs around here tend to allow dogs in as well as Wellington Boots – wouldn't get much custom if they didn't!

[karadekoolaid Profile]

I hereby declare that I have never had the good fortune to go to a Michelin-starred restaurant. Probably because there aren`t any in Caracas - although there were some excellent French restaurants here some 30 years ago ( Le Gazebo, Le Deuxième Étage, Patrick´s) run by chefs Robert Provost & Patrick Dwyer. In the 21st century, a whole new breed of excellent Venezuelan chefs made their mark: Alberto Leal, Victor Moreno, Sumito Estévez and Carlos García. These last four I´d describe as "friends", in the sense that we all know each other. I invited Sumito and his wife to an Indian feast one day - and he was duly impressed!
Carlos Garcia worked with Ferran Adriá and, when he returned to Caracas in 2006, opened a restaurant called " Alto". At one stage, it rated 7th in the "Best Restaurants of Latin America", and this year, Carlos was acclaimed " Best Chef of Latin America" by all his peers in the continent.
Outside of that? I ate in " El Passadis de Pep" in Barcelona 4 years ago. For $100 a head, we were served 10 dishes of fish and shellfish in exquisite preparations, with local Cava.
I ate at Chutney Mary´s soon after it opened, in 2001, and then Moti Mahal in Covent Garden ( now closed) which was run by the former Indian PM´s personal chef.
Oh yeah - Harry´s Bar in Venice - in 1982 - when Arrigo Cipriani was still hovering around the tables. The carpaccio was delicious, the Bellinis, divine, and the San Pietro ( John Dory) exquisite.
These days, I´m lucky if we make it to Domino´s Pizza.....1,300,000% inflation takes its toll.
What I would thoroughly recommend, however, is a Gastro Pub called the King´s Arms, in Boxley, just near to Maidstone. I ate there last year ( I´d been there a million times before) and I can honestly say that EVERYTHING was perfect. The atmosphere, the welcome, the (ancient) pub itself, the manager, the service, the beer and the food. There were 4 of us, and we all had different starters, different main courses and different sweets. EVERYTHING was delicious. And it´s only 40 minutes from London

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

The cinema is "the Daffodil" restaurant. An institution here that always seems packed.

I invited Sumito and his wife to an Indian feast one day - and he was duly impressed!

Consider me impressed too.

Fish I have daily on holiday, which is far more pleasant on the body in hot temperatures.
I wonder if La Poissonnerie de L'Avenue, South Ken is still as good as it was when we used to go.
We are in London in May again. I should find out, shouldn't I.

[Alexandria Profile]

29 / 1 / 2019 ..

Verona, Veneto, Italy ..

One of the most incredibly amazing restaurants we had dined in just a few days ago is:

Michelin Ristorante 12 Apostoli ..
Verona, Veneto, Italia.

The creative genius of the starred Food Designer & Executive Chef, his authencity of incredible ingredients, high craftsmanship of stunningly gorgeous art of plating, the bespoken beauty and the passion and work in an unforgettable atmosphere were the highlights.

Photographs: We just returned home after travelling to and from Madrid, Venecia, Verona, Madrid & Barcelona .. So, I shall be coordinating within the next few days.

Home sweet home ..

[Renee Profile]

Speaking of seafood shacks brought back memories of the three weeks that I had with friends sailing on Lake Michigan, calling at different places. At some places, such at Leland there was a small shack selling freshly smoked on the premises whitefish. I used to love jumping ashore and buying the freshly smoked fish for a lovely lunch.

[Joanbunting Profile]

When we were staying in Virgina Beach with DD the 3 of us used to wander down to the dock on the bay to one of the lobster shacks. One of which stuck out over the water. The lobsters , crab and oysters were really inexpensive and the food was to die for.

[Binky Profile]

This is getting spooky!

We went to the pub in Boxley as we have friends in Yalding, and everyone wanted to see if the reputation was well deserved. It was.

We lived in Michigan for three years during the 1990s and sampled many of the lakeshore seafood places.

Finally, one of our good friends has a son in the US Navy, which is stationed at Virginia Beach. We went to visit him (and see the early American settlements of Yorktown, Chesapeake etc) and ate at some excellent seafood restaurants looking out over the water.

I wonder if we Refugees have unknowingly eaten together at some point?

[Joanbunting Profile]

Binky. We were in VB in 2012. S-I-L was seconded to Nato and they had a choice of live in Richmond or VB. He arranged for several visits to various establishments and we did the usual tourist things to tourist sights. They lived just one block away from the beach and very close to First Landing. First time we went there two aircraft carriers were sailing by. A very impressive sight.

DD even took us to The Dismal Swamp where we saaw nesting bald eagles, among other things!

It has to be said though that some of the worst restaurant meals I have ever had were in Virginia!!

[Binky Profile]

Now, I can do a bit of 'one upmanship' here as we actually got on an aircraft carrier. The friend we were helping was actually leaving the navy (fighter pilot aboard the aircraft carrier) and his rank was Commanding Officer. He had various uniforms to collect (think Officer and Gentleman style) plus numerous bags in his state room, and so needed people to 'schlep' for him. We were waived aborad the ship, with salutes from the deckhands and lower military ranks, as we trundled behind The Great Man. He took us all over the ship, we saw the everything, it was a real privilege because not many Americans have been aboard a warship, let alone Limeys.

(as for food in Virginia, this is a very poor state. They eat stuff like boiled peanuts and squirrels. Not a gourmet destination!)

[Joanbunting Profile]

I believe West Virginia is the really poor state Binky.

The visit must have been amazing.

[Renee Profile]

How wonderful for you Binky! I am most impressed.

[Binky Profile]

Joan, you are quite right - W.Virginia is dirt poor. Virginia less so.

Still, we found that states such as Kentucky and N. Carolina had poor quality menus, with grits and suchlike. We ate at the Boone Tavern in Kentucky, an historic inn, and were not impressed. The whiskey trails in Kentucky more than make up for this shortcoming