Final Cut Steakhouse-Charles Town, WV

There are few better meals than an excellent cut of beef, seared to a juicy and tender perfection. Steakhouses are a huge niche, and people flock to chain restaurants boasting animal horns and Texas branding. Those places are not where you want to eat a steak. Most of the time we are served an overpriced, flavorless, gray colored piece of tough and chewy flesh. If you want to experience what steak is SUPPOSED to taste like, you must enjoy a meal at Final Cut Steakhouse. The location alone can attract an audience in the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races...

Metroprime, Birmingham, AL – AVOID THIS PLACE

There are establishments that elevate the genre of the “steakhouse”, and then there is Metroprime. The hype in this instance does not match the quality of food.  A good indication is the vibe from the locals, which all said was pricey and that they had heard mixed reviews.  Unfortunately, I found this out AFTER my meal…when I was trying to fill my belly with something worthwhile before I headed back to my hotel.  I always believe in starting off with the positives before delving into all the dreary, horrible, no good, very bad details.  Here we go:

Service: We arrived a half hour early for our reservation and they still sat us right away. The caveat is that it was a Monday night...

Gianmarco’s- Homewood, Alabama

We owe our discovery of this OUTSTANDING restaurant to a bartender at another establishment.  Mike usually researches where he would like to dine before a trip. We check off places on the list and revisit those that we really love. This place never made our list, but after asking around for a good “pasta place”, we were let in on the local secret.  The Five Points area of Birmingham is hard to beat.  You can find some great lunch places around Birmingham, but our usual dinner spot is somewhere in Five Points. Gianmarco’s is located in Homewood, and practically hidden in a neighborhood of homes. We were sure the GPS got it wrong when suddenly we saw a throng of cars around a little one story building. It was a Wednesday night at 8pm...

Gallatoire’s, New Orleans

For me, this was the highlight of my New Orleans trip. It’s a refined exuberance when the rest of the city blathers their happiness about in beads. Nothing wrong with either, but I give credit to those that strive to show polished restraint in a city of pure unadulterated partying.

Jackets are required for gentlemen and one will be provided for you if you didn’t happen to bring one. I witnessed this on my trip and it wasn’t the stuffy, “no you can’t sit down here in that” kind of place. It was a “Here, this will look wonderful with your strong shoulders and what a perfect color to match your shirt” style of treatment...

Blackbird, Chicago, IL

A few years back, we did a food tour of Chicago. It was just a weekend, but the city remains one of our favorites and we go back as much as possible to try new restaurants and revisit the ones we love. Blackbird made our list of reservations based on great reviews and of course the winner of the James Beard award numerous times.

It has a sleek and modern décor with a white bar area opening up to dining room seating. We were just a two-top along the side wall of the dining room, but it was a great spot to get a view of everything going on in the restaurant.

The bar was a hot area and nearly every seat would remain taken during our dinner. The dining room was just as full with a few larger parties in the middle and smaller tables lining walls...

Café Du Monde

If you go to New Orleans, you have to experience a beignet. We had just arrived that afternoon and went out to explore the city. When I first read about these delicious dough balls, I immediately thought of the Greek loukoumathe. Italians have their own version of fried dough as well called zeppoli. New Orleans has a beignet…and the best place for beignets is Café Du Monde. Located right on Decatur Street with both indoor and covered outdoor seating in their signature green and white colors. We sat outside, which was quite packed for a weekday afternoon. Service was quick and friendly. Basic menus are right on the table on the napkin holder. It consists of coffee (hot, cold, or frozen) and beignets...

Minibar & Barmini, Washington D.C.

I really should separate these two as they were two very different experiences, but they blended well and I try to keep these reviews to one per occasion. To explain further, if you are able to snag a reservation at Minibar for your meal, the final dessert courses will be just on the other side of the wall at Barmini. If you think about it, it’s quite the production. They must ensure that each group of 6 has seating timed perfectly with their dessert courses. Now we know why reservations are a must at both establishments. The execution was seamless, but more on that later.

All the best gastronomy restaurants with phenom reviews have one thing in common:  they are usually slightly hidden and give taxi drivers that aren’t familiar a bit of a hard time...

Highlands Bar and Grill- Birmingham, Alabama

This is the spot to be in Birmingham. Don’t even think about coming to town and not getting the royal treatment at this well -known establishment.  Valet parking just to the side is quick and courteous. Upon entering, a warm welcome and quick escort to our table starts off this incredible evening. There are two sections to choose from when making your reservation at Highlands: the dining room side and the bar side. We have experienced both, but when it’s just the two of us, we prefer the hopping and jovial bar side. It’s bigger than you would expect. A large “U” shaped bar sits in the center of two good sized rooms...