Signature food items

[Monello]

I got this idea from the restaurant thread. Name a food service establishment and it's must have item.

Mine is the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco. Last decade on travel 3 of us ducked in there to avoid the drizzle and get a drink. We saw everyone with Irish Coffee. Then we were treated with the creation of the drink. To watch someone make 24 coffees at a time with skill & precision is amazing. To view the bar's story go to the link.

I'll take 1 of those

 

[Monello]

Stone Crabs

Joe's Stone Crab, Miami Beach

The claws are a bit pricey. It's a supply & demand thing. I love the mustard sauce they serve with the claws. It makes a great sauce with any cold seafood.

Don't worry, be crabby

 

[Monello]

Fried dough balls served with a pound of powdered sugar

Café Du Monde - New Orleans, LA

Over rated in my opinion. Beignets & chicory coffee. Not my cup of tea. YMMV. But they always have a line, so they must be doing something right.

 

[Monello]

Rippers, cremators, & wellers

Rutt's Hutt - Clifton, NJ

Deep fried hot dogs and special relish

Rutt's Hut is a restaurant in Clifton, New Jersey known for its style of deep-fried hot dogs. The process of frying causes the hot dog casings to crack and split, which has led to the nickname "Rippers". The restaurant is also known for its mustard-based relish made with cabbage, onions, and carrots.

Deep fried goodness

 

[mamatutu]

Café Du Monde - New Orleans, LA

Over rated in my opinion. Beignets & chicory coffee. Not my cup of tea. YMMV. But they always have a line, so they must be doing something right.

They are actually airy inside and are delish when eaten right out of the fryer. Lots of powdered sugar, yes, don't take a deep breath just before you eat the beignet or you will have a coughing fit! Chicory was used as a coffee sub when coffee was scarce during the civil war and it stuck.

Oysters Rockefeller at Antoine's in New Orleans. http://www.antoines.com/menus_dinner.html

 

[Bann]

Ruddy Duck - Dowell MD

Great thread


Have a ring!!

Best onion rings, ever! The dipping sauce is awesome. (not complicated, but delicious)

 

[Merlin99]

The Kalu club, N. Charleston S.C.

White Russians, how that happened in a biker/dive bar is anyone's guess.

 

[MMDad]

I got this idea from the restaurant thread. Name a food service establishment and it's must have item.

Mine is the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco. Last decade on travel 3 of us ducked in there to avoid the drizzle and get a drink. We saw everyone with Irish Coffee. Then we were treated with the creation of the drink. To watch someone make 24 coffees at a time with skill & precision is amazing. To view the bar's story go to the link.

I'll take 1 of those

Agree with that! Way back when I was 15 they would let my mom buy them for me. Every other Irish Coffee is just a cheap imitation after that.

 

[Monello]

Great thread


Have a ring!!

Best onion rings, ever! The dipping sauce is awesome. (not complicated, but delicious)

I find it interesting that many people enjoy the rings at RD. I would think they would rather be known for 1 of their higher priced items. I never had them but I heard they had an amazing calamari appetizer that they discontinued. It was probably too much work for not enough money in order to eliminate a popular item. It was either that or raise the price on the item and today many people are price sensitive.

As far as onion rings go, I think Tony Soprano will disagree with you on who makes the best rings.

 

[Larry Gude]

Maine; Lobster roll.


Anywhere.

 

[Larry Gude]

Food quality and consistency has increased, dramatically, the last 20 year.

So so chefs today have the skill set of a master 30 years ago, at least in terms of being able to take good ingredients and make a good dish. So, that makes it really tough for me to say 'you gotta have THIS at THAT place'.

The difference, it seems, is in finding a place that has a chef that is in that 'manic' phase where everything is right every night and stay with that until they've burned out and moved on.

 

[Bann]

I find it interesting that many people enjoy the rings at RD. I would think they would rather be known for 1 of their higher priced items. I never had them but I heard they had an amazing calamari appetizer that they discontinued. It was probably too much work for not enough money in order to eliminate a popular item. It was either that or raise the price on the item and today many people are price sensitive.

As far as onion rings go, I think Tony Soprano will disagree with you on who makes the best rings.

The calamari sticks were awesome! Those were offered at the Ruddy Duck Seafood & Alehouse, which is their St.George Island location.

 

[Monello]

Food quality and consistency has increased, dramatically, the last 20 year.

So so chefs today have the skill set of a master 30 years ago, at least in terms of being able to take good ingredients and make a good dish. So, that makes it really tough for me to say 'you gotta have THIS at THAT place'.

The difference, it seems, is in finding a place that has a chef that is in that 'manic' phase where everything is right every night and stay with that until they've burned out and moved on.

I think the internet and stations like the food network has increased food awareness. Decades ago you had to dig through cookbooks to find recipes. Then it was just a finished picture and a recipe on how to make the dish. Now you can see the entire process online in a video or on a TV show. Now anyone with a passion for food can produce excellent meals right at home.

 

[Larry Gude]

I think the internet and stations like the food network has increased food awareness. Decades ago you had to dig through cookbooks to find recipes. Then it was just a finished picture and a recipe on how to make the dish. Now you can see the entire process online in a video or on a TV show. Now anyone with a passion for food can produce excellent meals right at home.

Yup.

 

[Monello]

Hot wings - Anchor bar

Buffalo, NY

On a Friday night in 1964, Dominic Bellissimo was tending bar at the now famous Anchor Bar Restaurant in Buffalo, NY. Late that evening, a group of Dominic's friends arrived at the bar with ravenous appetites. Dominic asked his mother, Teressa, to prepare something for his friends to eat.

They looked like chicken wings, a part of the chicken that usually went into the stock pot for soup.

Teressa had deep fried the wings and flavored them with a secret sauce. The wings were an instant hit and it didn't take long for people to flock to the bar to experience this new taste sensation. From that evening on, Buffalo Wings became a regular part of the menu at the Anchor Bar.

The phenomenon created in 1964 by Teressa Bellissimo has spread across the globe. Although many have tried to duplicate Buffalo Wings, the closely guarded secret recipe is what makes Frank & Teressa's the proclaimed "Best Wings in the World."

https://anchorbar.com/original.php