I get around. And while I’m on the go … I eat.
I try to avoid fast food, so I’m always on the lookout for the sort of sweet, secret eateries that only locals are savvy enough to know. So it occurred to me: why not ask MadeByMark.com readers to work up quick lists of the ten or so best eateries in and around your hometown?
That way, when I travel to your city — as I inevitably will — I’ll have a short list of great restaurants to try. When you travel to other cities, you can check the comments associated with this entry … and take advantage of the tips others have left behind.
The rules are simple:
1) Tell us your city
2) Give us no more than ten great places to eat. If possible, tell us just a sentence or two about what you like about each. Don’t have ten? Go for three to five.
3) If you have a personal or professional link to a place you recommend, please disclose it. (If you recommend Joe’s Diner, let us know if you’re working for or dating Joe.)
4) Keep things simple. If you try to write a long, fancy review for each spot you like, you’ll never get finished!
I’ll start us off by listing the 10 best eateries in and around Jackson, MS. If you ever visit me here in the City of Dreams, you can avoid bad-food nightmares by eating here:
1) Thai House. Spicy, yummy, authentic, home-style Thai cooking served up by the owners. Start with chicken satay, try the hot and sour soup, order gai pad prik or the cashew chicken, split a plate of pad thai with other members of your party, and top things off with fresh coconut ice cream.
2) Pizza Shack. Believe it or not, Jackson’s own Pizza Shack is serving the fifth best pizza on the entire planet. Screw your diet; order the carnivore and don’t look back. (Wash things down with a glass of Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale.)
3) Bravo. Throw on casual-preppie duds, do your best not to fill up on the excellent breads, and treat yourself to splendid pastas, fine pizzas, melt-in-your-mouth fillets, and desserts to die for at Bravo. (I favor the chocolate flourless torte.) PS: if you’re really a steak fanatic, go to Shapley’s instead of Bravo … and avoid the overpriced, pretentious Char Steakhouse at all costs.
4) Stamps on McWillie. The burgers “come like dey come” at this bizarre burger joint on Jackson’s ragged McWillie Street. Order the Superburger with the works, and don’t you dare leave without a heaping plate of the sweet potato fries. This is definitely the best burger in Jackson; it may also be one of the best burgers in the southeast.
5) Rossini. Almost no one knows about this fine Italian-influenced restaurant just off County Line Road. Stop in, skip the menu, and say, “Feed me, Tony!” That phrase is your password to a chef-concocted feast that pairs succulent dishes with beatable value. (The feast comes in three sizes. Trust me — the small will stuff you.)
6) Broadstreet Bakery. Owned by the folks who created Bravo, Broadstreet is your best bet for good coffee, tasty baked goods, yummy breakfasts, and fast wi-fi. The dinner menu isn’t my personal favorite — salads, sandwiches, standard deli fare — but if you’re not in the mood to drive out to Pizza Shack, the pizzas here will do in a pinch.
7) Primo’s on Lakeland. Sometime, you just gotta go “eat like Grandmaw.” And that’s what you’ll do at this Jackson institution, where I almost always get the fried shrimp and Clyde almost always gets the five veggie platter. Note: cakes and pies in the bakery counter look much better than they taste.
8) Bop’s Frozen Custard. What? A drive-thru ice cream stand on a list of great foodie experiences? Um, yeah. The custard at Bop’s is really stiff and not too sweet — the perfect after-dinner treat. The Mocha Choke-a Yah Yah is hard to beat … but the chocolate custard milk shake with peanut butter tossed in is my latest fave.
9) Penn’s on Lakeland. This is real southern home cookin’, y’all — fried catfish, collard greens, corn on the cob, country fried steak, black eyed peas, cornbread, fried chicken, candied yams … the list goes on and on. This buffet gets hit particularly hard at lunch. If there’s a slice of chocolate chess pie left when you wander by the dessert station, push slower diners out of the way and snatch it up.
10) Sombrero’s. Sombrero’s won’t last long because their location (hidden in a brick strip mall right smack on the edge of the Northpark Mall parking lot) is terrible. They are serving, however, the best and freshest Mexican food in Jackson, bar none. Don’t confuse Sombrero’s with Cozumel, the crowded, run-of-the-mill chips-and-salsa joint right across the street (in front of Wal-Mart)!
Restaurants in Clayton, Georgia
1. Grapes and Beans – Just off Main Street, a cafe for just a latte and the newspaper or their oh-so-good sandwiches, all of which can be enjoyed either inside or on the rustic patio. Vibe and food as comfy as anywhere.
2. La Pachanga – You know it’s authentic when the only person that speaks English well is the 9 year bus-girl (bus-child?). Not only is the price half of what you would pay on Atlanta’s Peachtree Street – Big plate of fajitas for $6.95 and a 32 ounce chilled mug of draft beer for $2.95 – but the salsas are spot-on.
3.John and Jeri’s – (Owned by this writer) – Grilled fat shrimp, marinated in Phil’s secret blend of garlic and citrus, accompanied by a potato salad made with grilled potatos (!), hard-to-find Silver Queen corn, Jeri’s gently tossed salad, all brought to your table on their fabulous 30 foot deck. If you behave you can even sleep here…..free!
4. and 5. – Sunday Brunch leaves you with two interesting choices. Maybe dine with the Church Folks, 11:30 ish, at the Feed Mill, a classic all-you-can-eat buffet ($8.95) of fried chicken, fried pork chops, fried okra…you get the drift? Or…maybe dine with the Nascar, t-shirt Crowd at the all-american mainstay, the Waffle House. Don’t ever pass on the chance to sit at the bar as the theatre unfolds before you.
6. – The Clayton Cafe – The day’s specials on chalk boards, everyone saying “Hello, How ya doin’?” like you’re kin,sliding into the vinyl booth, served by women your Mom’s age, and ordering a big plate of food you used to get at the Homecoming Church picnic.
7. Oinker’s – After all, this is rural Georgia so you have to try the local Bar-B-Que but check their hours because they open when they want and serve til they run out! Worth the effort but steel yourself against “pick-up truck envy” as the parking lot is full of every make and model.
8. The Stockton House – A steak house that has a chef that understands that simplicity is the key to preparing a hefty piece of beef. Classsic salad with a baked potato, all best enjoyed when your group is 6 or more. We have had great conversations while dining here often forgetting that the background music is actually a guy in a tuxedo singing softly while he plays the piano.
9. Glen Eller – A bit of a drive (20 + minutes) but the fun starts when you turn down the narrow dirt lane, ford the stream, and then grin when you spot the 1875 wooden farm house. Authentic setting with an uptown menu (and prices) but a clear first choice for that special occasion. BYOB
10. Julia’s – We had a decent meal at decent prices but wondered why few folks were dining there at 7:30 on a Friday night. Turns out that the local paper publishes the Health Department Inspection scores and Julia’s had failed the inspection on that Tuesday. None of us died…not even got sick. We’ll go back but will check out the newspaper first.
These all sound like jewels! I’m up for everything but Julia’s (!). Where do I sign up??? 🙂
This was a difficult task because I think the Minneapolis – St. Paul metro area of Minnesota has an amazing variety of fabulous restaurants to choose from.
1. The Oceanaire (http://www.theoceanaire.com) – For hands-down the best and most creative seafood in the 5 state area, save your bucks and hit The Oceanaire. With decor that is reminiscent of a 1930’s luxury ocean liner and a raw bar that could rival those on the coast, this is a spot to sneak away to for a lovely anniversary dinner or special date. Mpls.
2. El Burrito Mercado (http://www.elburritomercado.com)- This market/cafe/bakery/gift shop is the pride of West St. Paul. With a menu primarily in Spanish, most of the time it is easier to point through the window at what you want on your plate and just trust that it will be super tasty and spicy. Come around noon and expect to stand in a long line of people, none of whom will be speaking English. Sundays step around the back of the building and belly up to the roaster for fresh sweet corn hot off the grill.
3. True Thai (http://www.truethairestaurant.com) – This Minneapolis gem has the best pad Thai in the metro. Year after year True Thai is voted Best Thai in the Twin Cities by virtually every respected magazine and newspaper. You can taste the care and authenticity in every dish. Beautiful, tasty appetizers, soups and noodle dishes grace this more than adequate menu.
4. Shuang Chen – Super authentic, really good Chinese food tucked into an odd little mall in the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis. This storefront eatery is on the hip of the University of Minnesota campus and fills daily with students and those in the know. Tanks of lobsters and sizzling platters of whole cooked fish let you know this place has some of the freshest Chinese seafood dishes around. With a menu that will easily overwhelm you, stick with the house specialties or be brave and choose one of the daily specials written in Chinese characters on the illuminated board on the back wall.
5. Saigon – Only have $2 left in your pocket? Head over to the St. Paul Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon and order a bah mĂ sandwich to go. Deliciously crisp and fluffy fresh baked baguette filled with grilled pork, Vietnamese mayo, patĂ©, cilantro, pickled veggies and hot, hot jalapenos. Grab a couple sandwiches and a Coke and take them down a few blocks to the spacious lawns of the Minnesota state capitol. Spread out a blanket and have a lovely picnic lunch overlooking downtown St. Paul and the cathedral only 2 blocks away. Rainy or cold? Order a giant steaming bowl of phĂł and hunker down for a deliciously cheap but filling meal.
6. Matt’s Bar – Matt’s is a little hole in the wall beer (only) bar on Cedar Ave. in Minneapolis and home to the Juicy Lucy. If you’ve never had a juicy Lucy, it is a burger with its cheese on the inside. Scalding hot cheese is sandwiched between two thin burgers and fried to perfection, topped with fried or fresh onions, and wrapped in a paper wrapper. Complete your meal by sharing a basket of really good fries and a locally brewed Summit India Pale Ale and you think you died and gone to heaven. Don’t forget to grab a “Fear da Cheese” bumper sticker on your way out.
7. My Le Hoa – You don’t have to wake up too early on the weekend to get really good dim sum here in the twin cities. My Le Hoa in Little Canada (about 15 minutes north of downtown St. Paul) serves a really wide variety of authentic dim sum from 10:30 – 2:00 Saturdays and Sundays. SautĂ©ed tripe, shark fin dumplings and chicken feet for the brave, amazing banana leaf wrapped jeweled sticky rice, dense and savory dumplings and light, sweet sesame balls with red bean paste for the rest of us. Definitely worth the drive up from the big city.
8. Tanpopo (http://tanpoporestaurant.com) – For really, really good Japanese noodles head to lowertown St. Paul. Tanpopo has been around the St. Paul area for about 5 – 6 years but recently moved to it’s beautiful new space in downtown St. Paul on the main floor of a converted warehouse. A small but perfect menu offers udon or soba noodle bowls, and a handful of yummy Japanese appetizers. Excellent light and reasonably priced healthy meal.
Lisa! Lisa! Lisa!
Okay, now I’m looking at cheap flights to Minneapolis. Hmmm. How can I work eight great meals into one weekend??
Something tells me I’ll manage…
Hi guys,
These restaurants are in no particular order, and you’ve been to a few already, but hopefully you can check out the others sometime. I tried tokeep this as short as possible!
1. Sushi Inn120 Cumberland Street, 416.923.9992Great quality and great freshness. Amazing sushi in the heart of Yorkville, a trendy, ritzy area of Toronto where you can sometimes see a bit of Hollywood walking around. Don’t like raw fish? Check out the teriyaki beef, chicken or salmon in the bento boxes. The place is so busy that the fish is always fresh.
2. Yamato24 Bellair Street, 416.927.0077Another great Japanese place around the corner from Sushi Inn. But don’t have the sushi here (well, you can if you want). The big draw to this place is the teppenyaki tables with the cooks doing some fancy knifework. Dinner can be a little expensive, but you can have almost the same menu at lunch with cheaper prices. In the mood to splurge? Have a Kobe Beef Dinner… about $75 a head.
3. Rangolihttp://www.rangolirestaurant.ca/The best Indian buffet restaurant that I’ve found so far. And my Sri Lankan co-worker, another connaisseur of Indian Buffets agrees. Butter Chicken rules!
4. Zelda’shttp://www.zeldas.ca/Kitschy and kampy in the heart of Toronto’s gay community. The food is fairly good. I love going on Monday’s for $6.99 wing night, or on the weekend for the all you can eat buffet. And if you are lucky, you’ll be in town for the now annual, Drag Idol competition!
5. Mr.Jerk209 Wellesley Street East, 416.961.8913This is probably the biggest “hole in the wall” on this list, truly only one that a local would know about. It’s off the beaten path, and it’s great. Little tiny Jamaican food place. Not much room to sit, a few stools, but you can get it to go and enjoy it somewhere else. The food is worth it. I highly recommend the Jerk Pork!
6. Frankie Tomatto’shttp://www.frankietomatto.com/You guys have been here, but for others, this is a big, but cute Italian buffet restaurant made to look as if you are walking through the streets of Italy. I have to say that the food is pretty damn decent for a buffet and considering the hoardes of people that go there.
7. Grill Time454 College StreetThis is my new great love… All you can eat Korean BBQ. Raw meats are delivery to your table which is a small grill and you cook it yourself. It’s a great, slow meal, if you have the time to sit and chat and eat. When I go with Marija, we are usually there for 1 – 1.5 hours. Lunch is $8.99, Dinner is $12.99 I believe. I recommend either going for dinner, or paying the extra fee at lunch to get the rib meats included (lunch is beef, pork and chicken only).
8. Coach House574 Yonge Street, 416.922.5551You’ve been to this one guys with me. Another hole in the wall, but at least it’s on Yonge Street, so it’s seen more. It’s a great little breakfast place. Despite it not looking fancy, it’s very very popular.
9. Groucho’s Gourmet Burgers994 Eglinton Avenue West, 416.784.4434I haven’t been here for awhile, but the burgers were tasty and homemade. Tons of toppings to customize your burger.
10. Pho Hung350 Spadina Avenue, 416.593.4274This is a vietnamese noodle house, with more than just noodles. The portions on the noodle soups can be as big or little as you wish. You pick the dish and order the size (Regular, Large, XL!). Don’t eat noodles? That’s ok.. try one of the many many other dishes they have. The prices are excellent.