As a result of my job requirements and being able to travel with my family I have been able to meander around and out of the USA. Although I remember a lot of what I have seen I remember more about what I have eaten. So, here are some of the places which I recommend. I you end up going to some of these places, let me know what you think. Contact me by clicking here.

Burlington, Vermont

• Smokejacks
  This restaurant is located on Church Street which is a partially closed street (to traffic) lined by restaurants and shops. Part of the street is quaint and part of it is like any local Mall you would find in any city. At one end of the street is Smokejacks. On this summer day we ate in its outside cafe area. And my only problem with the restaurant is that it is a good thing we did for the inside room (very nice appointed) is noisy to the max (please see my rant about noise). But, since we ate outside we didn't have to deal with it. The menu is quite eclectic with two of the many main courses of note (we didn't eat them) being Westminster Ricotta and Sage Dumplings and Smoked Breast and Braised Leg of Long Island Duck. There are others which look equally delicious. But, we didn't eat them, we stuck with some appetizers which were actually enough for an entire meal. We (my wife and myself) shared a Salad of Local Organic Greens (remember, this is Vermont) with Grilled Orange Vinaigrette, Great Hill Blue Chesse and Toasted Pecans. We followed this with a Barbequed Pulled Pork Quesadilla with Cumin Spiced Caramelized Onions, Red Chile Salsa and Cilantro Cream. I have only one thing to say and that is I would have licked the plate if it wouldn't have been so totally crass. We also had a Burger on Toasted Focaccia with Chedder and Bacon Roasted Red Potatoes. We didn't have room for dessert but from what we saw they looked absolutely amazing.
• Penny Cluse Cafe'
  We were wandering around Sunday morning and literally stumbled into this place. Upon entering I really wanted to like it. The decor and feeling is like you stepped into a restaurant in Santa Fe and it felt great. There were people of all ages and everyone seemed to be having a good time which is exactly what I had until I got the food. First the coffee came and it reminded me of a joke which I saw on a poster in another restaurant which says "Don't knock the coffee. You will also be old and weak someday." The decaf coffee I got was so bad that I returned it basically undrunk. I am going to be critical about the food on its own merits but having said that this place is not inexpensive by any means. But, moving on, we got the Zydeco breakfast which is 2 eggs any style, black beans, andouille sausage and corn muffins. The eggs (scrambled), beans and sausage (one small grilled sausage) were served on a single plate with the eggs being hard and the beans being quite runny so that they ran into the eggs. I should mention that I have been in Santa Fe and tasted excellent black beans, received the recipe, and make it myself. And last, when the meal arrived it was luke warm. Finally, when we voiced our disappointment to the waitress she seemed quite unconcerned about it and no adjustment was made whatsoever in the bill. So, in spite of the fact that this restaurant seems to be quite highly rated, I will not return.

Chicago

• Steak: The Chop House:
  There are a gazillion places in Chicago to go for steak. Almost all of them are expensive and all of them promise the best steak on town. There is of course the famous Morton's Steak House, which is very good. But for atmosphere and food, and considering it is a steak house, a price which is somewhat less than astronomical, I definitely suggest the Chop House. It is small with the atmosphere you want in a steak house. It has dark woods, a dark atmosphere, and a ton of people, but the noise is not sufficient to drive you screaming into the night. And, of course, the steak, which is a carnivores dream. To say it is delicious would be an insult to the word. So, when you want a guilty pleasure, go and enjoy.
• Real Cajun Food: Heaven on Seven
  O.K., first thing first. How the heck do I know it is real cajun food? Well, I took a friend of mine from New Orleans to it and he pronounced it as such. Second, what the heck is a Cajun restaurant doing in Chicago? Answer - I don't have the foggiest idea, but who the hell cares? How can you not like a restaurant which has a wall lined with bottles of hot sauce? The Jambalaya is incredible. The Andouille sausage with beans is amazing. There are spicy dishes and bland dishes. The Po-Boys (sandwiches for you who don't know) are thick and plentiful.
• Ribs --Ribs-- and More Ribs!!!! --- The Chicago Rib House
  O.K., so it is not the place that makes it onto national T.V --- who gives a rats arse??  I have been to that other place and it can not match up with this little joint.  For Chicago-style ribs this is the place.  The sauce is indeed finger licking good and the ribs are so tender they leap into your mouth.  So you say you don't want ribs, well, how about an incredible catfish or perch??  My suggestion is get the ribs with sauce on the side.  Taste the hickory smoked taste first without the sauce, and then add the sauce.  For an appetizer, get the fried jalapenos with salsa.  Sit outside on their veranda, well, it is actually a rather decrepit porch area, and enjoy everybody walking down the street.  If you go here you are going to thank me.
• Four Star Restaurant: The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel
  First, I should let you know I am a poor professor. I was only staying at this hotel because I am on a committee and they pay for it. It took me five years to save up enough cash, and gumption, to decide to go to this restaurant. Now, if you can get past the astoundingly presumptuous name (THE dining room. Oh, by the way, the bar right next to it is called, yes, you guessed it, THE Bar), it is everything it is cracked up to be. The food is beautifully prepared, the wait staff is wonderfully attentive without being snobby, the atmosphere is gracious. This is definitely something you want to experience, at least once. I do have one problem with it however and it is outlined in my Rant in another part of this webpage entitled: "more taste, less filling". To put a price on it, we spent about 60 - 70 dollars per person. A suggestion is that you definitely order the Grand Marnier Souffle. This delight alone is worth the visit.

Washington, D.C.

• Southern Food: Georgia Browns
  I am not an expert on southern food, but I do know what I like. I love a well prepared fish dish with a hint of spice. I love beans and rice. I love well prepared breads. I love a wait staff that serves up good food without a side order of attitude. I love an atmosphere that is modern and welcoming. In other words, I love this place and apparently so do a lot of other people.
• Ice Cream: Larry's
  Well, how can I not like a joint which, apparently, was named for me. Well, maybe not, but this place is great. It is a homemade ice cream place right off of Dupont Circle. It is in a basement so you will have to look for it. Larry is behind the counter and depending on his mood he can be an irascible cuss, but that only adds to the experience. This is not a place for those of you on a low cholesterol diet. The ice cream is thick and creamy and the toppings are numerous. So, go there, get a huge dish of ice cream, and give Larry some grief for me. After all, he gave me grief when I went there.
• Steak, Chops and Fish: The Capitol Grill
  This is another place that I probably would have gone to if someone else had not paid for it. But, since they did, who was I to refuse. First, the view, which is overlooking the Capitol. Wow!!!! Next, the food, which is equally wow. The beef is amazing and the fish is superb. This is an upscale experience that I will not forget. I hope that those people who can afford this on a regular basis do not take it for granted.

Baltimore

• Crabs and Fish for everyone: Crabby Dicks
  First, how do you get to this place since it is not in the tourist, downtown area of Baltimore. Well, you actually could walk from downtown, since it is within two miles. But, the better way to do it is to take the water shuttle. For about $5.00 you can get this shuttle and travel up and down the waterfront all day. It is a great deal. So, get on the shuttle and ask how to get to Crabby Dicks and they will tell you where to get off. I wish I could remember the area of town, and in a later version of this little guide I will change it. But, this little area is like a small Greenwich Village, N.Y. It is funky and wonderful with shops and restaurants and antiques. The restaurant is relatively small with an informal ambience. You can get crabs layed out on the table for you. You get the hammers and picks and away you go. Actually, when we went we had shrimp and sandwiches and they were wonderful. The prices are reasonable and the waitstaff is young and accomodating.
• Upscale Seafood: McCormick and Schmicks
  Right in the downtown tourist area is the huge McCormick and Schmicks. It is well known for its "normal" and gourmet seafood. This restaurant is mammoth and when we went, on a summer's day, it was packed. I recommend you do what we did, which is ask to be seated outside in their cafe area. For those who wanted to sit inside, they had to wait upwards of two hours. We waited less than 30 minutes. We had wonderful fish and crabs. The Caesar salad was crisp and the bread was great. We sat outside under the stars with a nice breeze and watched the people walk by. Although it was not cheap, for a restaurant in the middle of town, it was not terribly pricy.

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

• Down Home French Food: Le Cochon Dingue
  I asked a French colleague of mine where to go. I told him I could not afford a lot and he suggested this restaurant. By the way, the name means, the crazy pig. And, here sausages do rule. The sausage dishes are great. All sorts of sausage dishes, served all day. The breads (you can tell I like bread) are home made. Other smoked meats are served with vegetables which are crisp and not mushy. I HATE MUSHY VEGETABLES. This is a funky, low key restaurant with people who are wonderful. If you are intimidated by some of the restaurants and people in Quebec, then this is the restaurant for you. They made us feel at home the moment we stepped into the place.

Montreal, Canada

• A little cafe to attend: Forget
  There are many little cafes on Montreal and this is one of them which is great. They serve bistro type food and I highly suggest if the weather is ameniable that you sit outside, have a crepe or sandwich, with a glass of wine, and watch the world go by. Your troubles with go with it. Oh, and say hello to Madam Forget for me. She is a kick.
• Auberge Bonaparte
  Eating at this highly regarded restaurant we a disappointing experience. . However, before I comment on the food I should mention that it is quite beautiful and the staff was very attentive. Over the past few years it appears that the philosophy in the finer French and Italian restaurants has changed from heavy sauces which dominate the foods to making the food the centerpiece of the meal. This is both with respect to the presentation and the taste. To this end, even if the sauce is somewhat robust, it is served either on the side or around the dish. It is not place liberally on the food so that the taste of the food is obscured. This was certainly not the case for Auberge Bonaparte. We started the meal with a simple salad with a vingerette dressing. The greens were quite limp and the dressing was splashed so liberally on them that it increased their limpness. We then had a duck dish with berries and a dish of venison. There was so much sauce on each that when they arrived I had to ask the waiter which was which. It was impossible to tell by examining them. Also, the venison was quite tough. When I mentioned this to the waiter he said this was to be expected with venison. I have ordered venison before in restaurants and cooked it at home and this need not be the case. Other meals at this establishment may live up to their reputation but ours certainly did not.

Santa Fe, New Mexico
First of all, it is unfairly beautiful out there. Although, I must say I did miss the water, I am a true New Englander. But, that is not what you want to know about so --- all I can say is ---- So many restaurants and so little time. There were more good restaurants packed into a small area than I had ever seen. Three of the best are:

• Geronimo - is arguably the finest restaurant in Santa Fe. I could wax poetic about the incredible meal and service we had but my words could not approximate the occasion. Better yet, let me tell you what I ate. I started off with sauteed crab cakes with leeks and two sauces of chimi churi and horseradish. Now, you are hearing from someone who normally does not like crabcakes because they are mostly bread. These crab cakes were packed with crab and the breading was superb. The sauces were wonderful and I have not yet been able to recreate their version of chimi churi. For main course I had an elk tenderloin with smoked bacon, sauteed leeks and roasted garlic mashed potatoes in a morel mushroom brandy sauce. I know we were in an upscale restaurant, but I was not about to let the sauce stay on the plate, so after I finished getting it up with the bread I actually took my finger and --- well, you know. For dessert my wife and I had a great cheesecake. If you are ever in Santa Fe, save up your sheckels, and go to Geronimo.
• Coyote Cafe - whereas Geronimo may be the best restaurant in Santa Fe, the Coyote Cafe is not far behind, and is probably the best known. Mark Miller is the chef and owner and his food can best be described as southwest eclectic. We were at the restaurant for Sunday lunch (brunch). We were lucky to arrive early for it almost immediately got busy. I had a crusted fish with spiced potatoes and my wife (Nancy) had spicy duck quessadillas. Both dishes were incredible. Also, Mark is known for his pastries, and his reputation is well deserved. We had some small muffins of various sorts that were incredible. They were most and tart and crunchy all at the same time. Since then I have purchased a cookbook by him and have made three dishes --- a wholewheat loaf, pan cooked cornbread with sage, pinenuts and corn, and a wonderful salsa of roasted corn, poblano peppers, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. Each dish was better than the last.
• Corn Dance Cafe in the Hotel Santa Fe - while the Coyote Cafe may be southwest eclectic, the Corn Dance Cafe serves southwest cooking as is eaten by those who actually live in the southwest and have for years. The cooking is simple and direct and wonderful. I started off with a grilled ear of corn drizzled with chipolte oil. It was roasted, and tasty, without being overly spicy. Now, you have to understand, I am an unabashed carnivore. The idea of an all vegetarian dinner to me is quite foreign. But, when I saw the maincourse of Baked Poblano Chile stuffed with a Picadillo of Ancient Grains served with sweet corn and baby vegetables, I had to try it. And, I am absolutely thrilled I did. The chile stuffed with grains melted in my mouth and the taste was spicy and unique. The vegetables were crisp and warm, both respect respect to temperature and spice. Not to leave out my wife, she had Salmon with smoked tomato-chive butter on spinach and leeks with wild rice and quinoa. There were so many things from which to choose, I could have ordered again and have been just as pleased. This type of meal was very new for a guy from New England. It was definitely worth the trip.

Savannah, Geoergia
This is a wonderful city with a gracious way of living and a series of town squares that will knock your socks off. It has many nationally known eateries and so we enjoyed dining. Two of the most notable to us, although they have not received national attention, are below.

• Bistro Savannah
  The restaurant has muted lighting with brightly painted walls. The music is is a fine accompianment to the meal without being obnoxiously loud. Now, onto the food. I started with an appetizer of Fried Oysters with a smoked jalapeno aioli and waffle chips. WOW!!! My wife had a salad of greens, pears, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese. For the main course she had a blue crab stuffed tilapia with champagne sauce. It was good but my main course was otherworldly. I had a grouper which was broiled and then squirted with a special BBQ sauce. It was served with peach and pear chutney on a mound of creamy stone ground grits. Now, this was a high class restaurant but it did not stop me from sopping up the sauce first with my bread and then when that was gone, I used my fingers.
• The Gryphon
  This is a tea shop run by SCAD. We had tea, scones and clotted cream. It was absolutely delicious.

Charleston, South Carolina
What a lovely city. There are botanic and architectural surprises around every corner and it could take you a week just to find all of them. But, you can find amazing restaurants almost immediately. Although there are gustatory wonders throughout the city if you only have a short time and don't know where to go, just to to East Bay Street and there is one great restaurant after the other. But, if you do have time you should definitely not restrict yourself to that area. I went to many restaurants and just present those that I liked. Those that I didn't like are not included. Now, presented in alphabetic order ----

• High Tea at the Charleston Place
  For those of you who have never experienced a high tea in the afternoon, you have not fully lived and you certainly have not been pampered sufficiently. At the Charleston Place, which is a magnificent hotel, you sit in a room that overlooks the sumptuous lobby. The tables are immaculately set with cloths and silver and the waitstaff is dressed as befits the setting. You are first presented with a wooden platter on which a sample of the loose teas are shown and you select your tea. For $18.00 you then leisurely sit and enjoy a series of delights that start with some small sandwiches. Finishing those you are presented with scones, lemon curd (like a jam), honey and whipped cream. Then, after you finish that course you are presented with six samples of various desserts. It really is a tremendous amount of food served in an elegant environment. We sat for close to two hours as we talked, read a newspaper, and simply watched what was going on around us. Having said all of this, believe it or not, it is not stuffy and the wait staff is helpful without being officious. So, after a long morning, when you can't walk anymore as your feet are aching, take a break you will long remember.
• Coast (843-722-8838, 39-D John Street)
  We had been told about this fish restaurant. It is located down an alley is easy to miss but don't miss it. The inside of the restaurant is huge, being about three stories tall but having only one story. This guarantees a lot to view and limits the noise. It also guarantees a wonderful environment in which to eat. The tables are nicely spaced and you never feel crowded. This is an informal atmosphere for those who wish to eat extremely well and have fun doing it. The dishes include the standard fish meals and then numerous surprises. We began our meal with Coast Crab Soup. This is sort of a bisque with crab in it and it is just as wonderful as advertised. We then had the Coast Crab Dip which is crab (a lot of it) in a cheese mixture spiced with a bit of horseradish. It is served with grilled bread. My wife then had a Paella that was tasty and plentiful. I had grilled spicy shrimp. I many times complain that dishes, especially those that are advertised as spicy, are toned down. Well, this dish was spicy and I loved it. Having said that, don't be scared off. It was spicy but not overpowering. Ten nice-sized shrimp were served along with ancho chili pineapple salsa, perfectly grilled vegetables and grits. Unfortunately we were so full we had no room for dessert. But, our hotel was in walking distance so we left and then returned two hours later. By that time there was live music and the place was buzzing. We were seated immediately and the staff even recognized that we had been there earlier. We had coffee and shared a huge piece of Chocolate mousse pie with chocolate cookie crust and strawberry coulis.
• Cypress (843-727-0111, 167 East Bay Street)
  There are many aspects in having a fine dining experience. These include the taste of the food, the presentation, the price, the amount of the food, the environment and the service. Taking all of these into consideration, Cypress is amongst the finest restaurants in which we have eaten. The atmosphere is elegant without being overpowering. The waitstaff is superb. They are attentive without hovering. This is an expensive restaurant where the appetizers can range between 8 - 16 dollars. The main courses range between 19 to 34 dollars. So, bring your credit card fully loaded. But, as opposed to other expensive restaurants, at least you get a good amount of food for your money. One very fortunate problem is that there are so many astounding possibilites it is difficult to choose. No matter what you select you feel you are missing other wonderful dishes. So, we hit upon a strategy we have used in other fine restaurants. We ordered a large salad and three of the more impressive appetizers. The salad was a real, and I do mean real, caeser salad made in front of you at the table. The anchovies and egg and mustard and olive oil and other spices were combined in a bowl and lovingly placed on the romaine lettuce along with homemade croutons. You have not eaten a caeser salad until you have eaten one prepared just for you. This was a masterpiece. The appetizers, all of which were great were in order
  1. Smoked duck rolls in apricot and hot miso-mustard sauces
  2. Seared Foie Gras with a dried fuit bread pudding and apple pecan compote
  3. Lobster, rock shrimp and scallops in cheese grits
  All of these were wonderful but the Foie Gras was unworldly.
  There were many impressive main courses but we just did not get to them. Maybe next time. Ah, we finished the meal with a Grand Marnier souffle. A simply wonderful way to end an evening.
• Hominy Grill (843-937-0930, 207 Rutledge Avenue)
  We had been told about this neighborhood restaurant and so travelled to it. It necessitated a taxi ride and we were lucky that we made the trip. This is a little restaurant that spotless and has a great outdoor eating area. We ate on the outdoor patio. The staff was very friendly and we had an extended discussion with the manager. This is good ole southern food given some new interpretations by an inspired chef. This is not just my opinion for he has won many awards. We had breakfast that consisted of Salmon Potato Cake with Poached Egg, and Sauteed Shrimp with Mushrooms and Bacon over Cheese Grits. The meals were so good we went back a second day and had an Egg biscuit with Chesse and Two Eggs with Hominy and Toast. Lunch and dinner is also served at the Hominy Grill but we only got there for breakfast. If we return to Charleston we will have to try it for other meals.
• Sticky Fingers
  I'm sorry, and this is going to incur the wrath of some in Boston, but you can not get honest to goodness real ribs in Boston. Real ribs, those that require no sauce, those that are dry rubbed to perfection, are found in the South. At Sticky Fingers we had ribs and chicken that fit that description. These were so good, so succulent, and so delicious, that they required no sauce to augment their taste. This is a family restaurant with no pretentions. You go to have a good time and to eat absolutely amazing ribs and chicken. No more need be said.

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