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Yelp's top 100 Restaurant List

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J

J-Rod

Member
I ate at the cod mother and while the people were extremely nice, the fish was so greasy and heavy I couldn't eat it.
 
T

Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!

Member
Dead Man said:
You just said it was, but okay. I'm saying you can use a different type of crayfish or oyster or make a Cajun dish that has no local only ingredient in it. But you do obviously know more than me about Cajun food, so I will bow out.
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I said "Good look getting fresh LA Crawfish in Hawaii.". 95% of the crawfish harvested in the United States are from Louisiana, so the odds are extremely high that any crawfish you eat anywhere else in the United States is from LA (and if not LA, China), but it's not fresh. So using a different type of Crawfish is not really an option.
 
B

Beant

Member
Didn't think I would see something from Kona on here, #1 no less! I will have to go check it out soon.
 
G

GatorBait

Member
Stumpokapow said:
I don't think you can meaningfully compare a hole-in-the-wall greasy spoon place (which could easily give you an amazing meal, some of the best of a particular dish you've ever had, be a place you go often, your favourite hangout, etc) with a tasting menu mega-course wine pairing ultra-elite two month reservation waiting list place and everything in between. They don't offer the same sort of experiences at all.

Actually just browsing the "top rated" in a city is totally useless. You have to break it down by price bracket or whatever to actually get any real comparability.

Like, in my city, one of the consistently highest rated places is basically a shawarma place. And it's amazing. Every time I go there there's a line snaking out through the building, the garlic sauce is heavenly, chicken is always moist and great, the potato wedges amazing, tons of sides, reasonable prices, etc. I can't say a bad word about it. ... but I normally get my food there to go because I don't really want to watch the TV playing ads for local middle eastern real estate agents, or sit next to a fridge with a humming broken ballast filled with yogurt drinks or order a second course. The chairs and table are fine, but it's the standard fast food restaurant plastic stuff. And, like, that's fine. If you're just popping in for some fast food, that's no problem.

But then there are restaurants I go to where I wear a suit jacket, where the lights are down low, where I order a few courses, where I'll get a cocktail or whatever. Where the ingredients used are different, where the food is prepared under the supervision of a chef rather than a line cook. My service expectations are completely different. The atmosphere is different. The types of food are different.

Nothing wrong with a hearty meal, not being a snob here, it's all good. And certainly I can't afford to do the latter for every meal. I love home-cooked style meals. I love cheap, enormous portions. I love get overfilled on some dirt cheap pho and spilling broth everywhere. I love getting greasy pizza, especially when I've had a few beers... but it's not the same thing at all. So I'm not really sure why there would be a "need" to rank them together.
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You present a post that is well-thought out and I agree with it in most respects...but I don't really think that most of what you wrote even matters for this list. The list is called "Top 100 Places to Eat in the US" and the criteria they use is an intersection of popularity and review scores. In some ways, I think your post actually strengthens the argument for lumping all types of restaurants together in one list: great food comes in all shapes and sizes and styles, is served in settings of varying formality with distinctly different atmospheres, and you can get a top-notch meal at any price level.

It's the same concept as when I ask my friend in Chicago where the best places to eat are, and he'll recommend both Alinea and a place that serves hot dogs in the same breath.
 
T

Tymerend

Member
Kansas City may be a relatively small city, but damn do we defend the stuff we have that's good. We will cut you if you trash Shatto milk, and god save you if you think of disrespecting our BBQ joints that happen to be in a gas station.
 
A

ampere

Member
Well I didn't see any on that list that I have been to, but I will shout out to two restaurants I went to these past two weeks that were amazing.

Toscano Ristorante in NJ. I had a dish called Chicken Calabrese, it was chicken with pepperoncini, asparagus, mushroom, artichoke, tomato and wine sauce. So much flavor, a little bite from the pepperoncini and some great texture from the other veggies. Awesome sauce too. Sangria was good too :)

Beanwood Latin Bistro in NJ. The dish was called "Guavate’s Pernil Asado". Had to check the menu online lol, could not remember that name. It was pulled pork, and I expected it to have a bunch of sauce on it, but it came out looking just like pork with some spices and it was amazing. Lots of pork flavor but some good seasoning. Also nice rice dish and plantains on the side. Soo good. They said they were not serving wine that night though... it was weird.
 
D

daw840

Member
Tymerend said:
Kansas City may be a relatively small city, but damn do we defend the stuff we have that's good. We will cut you if you trash Shatto milk, and god save you if you think of disrespecting our BBQ joints that happen to be in a gas station.
Click to expand...

You're not suggesting that anyone here is actually doing either of these things though...right? RIGHT?!?!?
 
terrisus

terrisus

Member
daw840 said:
You really had to twist that fucking knife didn't you?

I live in Overland Park, KS, one of the few areas that pissed off Google with the negotiations and have no fucking GOD DAMNED TIME LINE FOR FIBER.

grrrrrr
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Ouch, sorry.
I'd say that's reason to do a bit of a relocation.
 
way more

way more

Member
Is tuna poke cajun?


Edit: No it's fucking not. I worked with a cajun chef for 3 years and this after a stint at a sushi place where I grew to love tuna poke. Why are people saying it's cajun?

Yelpers are suitably impressed by haute cuisine, and the site’s top 100 does in fact include Alinea (No.7), the French Laundry (No. 34), and Le Bernardin (No. 45). But they care just as much about traits like charm, authenticity, and value for the money—traits that tend to fall by the wayside when the pros draw up their best-of lists. And so those white-tablecloth critical darlings must elbow for room at the table alongside Yelpers’ favorite barbecue joints, taco stands, and pho spots, many of which are beloved as much for their cheap prices and homey service as their delicious fare.

It’s safe to say that even Da Poke Shack is surprised to find itself atop a national best-restaurants list. When I called the restaurant to ask if they’d heard that they had garnered Yelp.com’s top overall rating, the on-duty manager replied, “Oh, cool. You mean best on our island, right?” No, I said. Best in the country. The line went silent for a few moments. “Oh,” he said again. “Wow.”
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http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_t..._shack_is_america_s_top_rated_restaurant.html

Y'all bunch of snobs
 
L

Lathentar

Looking for Pants
5 places for Austin. Wow. Guess that's not a surprise as a lot of people here use yelp and people are ratings slaves when they make their own ratings.

Franklin's is fantastic. The best Austin BBQ I've had. Second best BBQ I've ever had Snow's in Lexington is the best.
Never been to Surf N Turf Po-Boys, guess I have something to try.
Uchiko been there once, very good. Expensive though.
Little Deli is a great little place nearby. Always good for a quick meal, get the Roast Beef and Cheddar. However, best sandwich in Austin that I've found is Melvin's which can't be too far from this list (57 reviews nearly all are 5 stars the rest 4 stars).
Have not been willing to spend the money for Uchi yet. One of these days.
 
S

ShowDog

Member
Yelp reviews are submitted by regular people, not food critics. I know that we all know this, but I'm surprised that many haven't realized people are rating their experience at the restaurant as opposed to the quality of food. Just as important will be atmosphere, perceived value, friendliness and speed of service. If 22 year old Monica had a great date at Mamas Italian Shack for $35 bucks it's getting 5 stars.

Works for me.
 
S

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
Motherfuckin' Sal's deli. Fuck yeah. Getting my bomb is gonna take even longer now but they deserve it.
 
tekumseh

tekumseh

a mass of phermones, hormones and adrenaline just waiting to explode
Garbo's Grill in Key West is, literally, a food cart in a parking lot. The food is extraordinary, and among the best I've ever eaten, but I feel pretty confident they're not paying anybody to be on this list..
 
K

Keikaku

Member
earvcunanan said:
As a Seattle native, Paseo at #2 makes me happy. Definitely a great place for sandwiches if you're in town.
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Listen to this man!

I have serious doubts about Yelp but Paseo has, by far and away, the best sandwiches I've ever tasted. I've yet to meet someone who's gone to it and come away disappointed. The hype lives up to reality in this case :)
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Aquamarine said:
Yelp's Top 100 Most-Paid-for-Yelp-Marketing List
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lol paseo is literally a tin shack that sells sandwiches and is often closed for weeks at a time. If they're paying off yelp they are not exactly business geniuses.


and goddamn are their sandwiches amazing.
 
F

FStop7

Banned
It's getting mighty salty in here.

BTW another place that deserves to be on this list is Cafe Intermezzo, located in Atlanta.
 
DanteFox

DanteFox

Member
One thing that bugs me about Yelp reviews is that they always start off with the reviewer trying to establish themselves as some kind of expert on the food they're about to review. It's always some variation on, "I come from ____ so I know what good _____ food is." or "I've had my fair share of ____ food so I'm pretty much an expert."

No you're not. Stop trying to elevate your crappy opinion above the rest of the unwashed masses. Just stop.
 
H

hitme

Member
Still need to try Cheese Board and Little Luca.

Dammit, I was in Berkeley a couple of days ago too. :|
 
D

Dead Man

Member
Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku! said:
I said "Good look getting fresh LA Crawfish in Hawaii.". 95% of the crawfish harvested in the United States are from Louisiana, so the odds are extremely high that any crawfish you eat anywhere else in the United States is from LA (and if not LA, China), but it's not fresh. So using a different type of Crawfish is not really an option.
Click to expand...

I don't live in the US, try again. I can get fresh crayfish. Even if they can't, doesn't mean it isn't a better restaurant than is elsewhere. I don't think they were scoring based on the authenticity. Nobody claimed they were the most authentic Cajun or even the best Cajun food, it's a food truck, I don't think anyone is confused by what they will be getting. So tell your mates in LA to get off their arses and run their restaurants better. Or pay for Yelp votes, like most of these probably did.

Dirtbag said:
I'm a New Orleans raised cajun, and looking at the photos online.. I can't believe it would win over an actual louisiana based establishment. That french bread looks all wrong and raw red onions on a poboy???
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Yeah, but as I said earlier and a couple others have said since, it is not about the most authentic meal, but best restaurant. So a great restaurant that has Cajun style dishes but with whatever local flair will do better.
 
S

Suzaku

Member
70. Little Luca Sandwich Shop & Deli, South San Francisco, CA
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Holy shit... Little Lucca's represent! There ain't no way that run down shack is paying anybody for reviews. Yelp haters kinda getting silly. At least they know a good sandwich.
 
Arkos

Arkos

Nose how to spell and rede to
From this list I gather that a lot of people in California use Yelp.
 
S

see5harp

Member
Paseo is legit but it's just a sandwich spot. There's a similar place in San Francisco called Deli Board in SOMA. They have super good romanian pastrami.
 
D

Drek

Member
tekumseh said:
Maybe Arthur Bryant's and Jack Stack have gone out of business and we're unaware?
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Arthur Bryant's is trash bro, and Jack Stack is mid-tier.

OK Joe's is the best BBQ in KC, unless you want burnt ends and only burnt ends. Then LC's.

I've been to:
3. Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue, Kansas City, KS
19. Bogart’s Smoke House, Saint Louis, MO
29. Blues City Deli, Saint Louis, MO
60. Fishermen’s Grill, Portland, ME
98. Pappy’s Smokehouse, Saint Louis, MO

And I'd say they're all pretty deserving. Maybe not Fishermen's Grill because you can get pretty comparable food in a bunch of other places along the Maine coast, but that's just because Maine has damn good seafood on it's coast.

The gap between Joe's, Bogart's, and Pappy's is overstated, but then Pappy's is in a "rough" (read melanin wealthy) neighborhood, so it gets short changed as a result.

Blues City Deli is legit as fuck. Food is excellent and the atmosphere on a nice spring/summer/fall day is awesome. Great live music in the evenings too.
 
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