The faint whiff of salt water as you walk into Seafood Lady evokes memories of that vacation you took when you lost track of time, living in the moment. Where you were jamming to your favorite tunes, with your feet in the sand, a crab leg in one hand and a cold beverage in the other. Opened by Florida natives Luke and Nichelle Thurston in 2015, their curbside pick-up moved to a free-standing restaurant in Old Louisville, and the lines have been out the door ever since. Famous for its Full Boil, a $25 box of steaming, spicy and garlic goodness is fit for at least two, maybe three hungry diners. Dig into snow crab legs, a dozen giant shrimp, a split 1-pound Idaho russet, corn on the cob, two andouille sausages, and a peeled, hard-boiled egg dusted with Cajun spice. Every order gets drenched in butter and more Cajun seasonings. And don’t miss the diet-busting crab fries, a Low Country variation of poutine, with lump crab, Alfredo sauce and french-fried potatoes.
Cousins Fernando and Yaniel Martinez, born and raised in Habana, Cuba, opened this bar and grill in 2012. And when life gives you a joint filled with mussels and burgers, and a chef that does out-of-the-box creations with both, go! The tender, succulent, fried-to-perfection sweet and spicy calamari with olive aioli is almost too good not to get seconds. And don’t miss the Bacon Breakfast Burger, aka The B.B.B. A Black Angus patty is topped with caramelized onion, aged white Cheddar, maple syrup aioli, maple syrup-glazed pork belly and a fried farm egg. Bonus: It comes with a side of crisp and peppery sweet potato fries with smoked pineapple dipping sauce. This burger will leave you speechless and wanting more.
Owners Bob Hancock and Kit Garrett run this quaint cafe in the heart of Crescent Hill, where they turn out artisanal breads, brunch and lunch fare featuring their farm-raised Red Hog pork. Fans say their Jamón Serrano rivals those from Spain, and they’ve recently opened a butcher shop down the street dedicated to their artisanal meats. The Hancocks also grow a small garden of fresh herbs out back. Breakfast customers are captivated by their flakey, sweet, fluffy, oh-so-heavenly croissants. And for lunch, you won’t want to miss their Poached Egg and Bacon Pizza, topped with arugula.
This contemporary gastropub/smokehouse is nestled in a basement (yes, really a basement) in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Germantown. You'll know you are there when you see the crowd of people outside, waiting for a table, or the hammerhead shark bolted to the vinyl siding above the front door. Chefs Chase Mucerino and Adam Burress are true American heroes when it comes to Southern cuisine. The alluring aroma of smoked meats lights up your senses as you walk in the door and lingers with you long after you leave. The Mac & Cheese Balls are essential. Crispy on the outside, cheesy heaven on the inside and dripping with Hollandaise sauce, they will certainly appease the taste buds, or leave them wanting more.
Pro tip: You must have everyone in your party on site to be seated, and seating is very limited. But the atmosphere is what you come for. Well, besides the PBLT, which comes with pork belly and sun-dried tomato aioli on Texas toast.
Owned by Alex and Kim Lam, their Vietnamese café in the Iroquois Manor Shopping Center on the south side of town is a local gem. Settled on the walls are various awards and magazine articles raving about VK. This place has a great following, and if you swing in for lunch, you'll know why. When you walk in, you feel like family. Order the Pineapple Curry, a vegetarian dish that comes with steamed rice and tofu. And ask for a to-go box. The portion sizes are great for leftovers.
Tip: The menu lists the name of its dishes in Vietnamese, so many people refer to the item numbers on the menu when ordering.
The late Elmer "Doc" Dyer opened his cafe in 1912 and began to develop a secret cooking process for his world-famous burgers, which are still served today at the popular '50s-style diner on Beale Street. Legend has it the “secret" was Dyer's ageless cooking grease. Strained daily, this famous grease has been used to deep-fry Dyer's juicy burgers and fries in a cast iron skillet for more than a century. One of Dyer’s original employees, Kahn Aaron bought the establishment in 1935 and continued the Dyer's name and tradition. Dyer's serves burgers with one, two or three patties and up to three slices of cheese. The all-beef patties are served with mustard, pickle and onions. Don’t ask for lettuce and tomato. That’s not Dyer’s style. The menu also offers hot wings, chicken fingers, hot dogs and shakes. Open into the wee hours of the morning, Dyer's original location is a favorite spot of the nightlife crowd on Beale Street, home of the blues.
Want to dine like royalty? An integral part of Madrid's gastronomic offerings, the elegant Restaurante Zalacaín is famous for its sumptuous interior, excellent classic Spanish and international cuisine and formal, white-glove service. Opened by Navarrese-born chef Benjamín Urdaín in 1973 on the stylish Calle Alvarez de Baena, world leaders who have dined on the restaurant’s nouvelle Basque cuisine include King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, Spanish presidents and state ministers, Nobel Prize winners and top Spanish and foreign executives. Amid lavish private dining suites decorated with gleaming dark wood, claret hues, Villeroy & Boch china and Plata Meneses cutlery, guests dine on such signature dishes as mushroom and goose liver lasagna, lobster salad, potato soufflés and pig's trotter stuffed with mushrooms and mustard lamb. The restaurant’s spectacular wine cellar, among the comprehensive offering of Spanish wines in the world, contains more than 35,000 bottles. For dessert lovers, a tray of chocolate truffles, palmiers and almond biscuits arrive with coffee. The first restaurant in Spain to receive three Michelin stars (it is now rated very good quality), diners should dress to impress. Men are required to wear jackets and ties. Interesting fact: Zalacaín was named after Pio Baroja y Nessi's 19th-century novel whose hero, Zalacaín, dies defending a woman's honor.
Opened in summer 2016, The Carew Arms has quickly established itself as one of southeast Cornwall’s best dining pubs, with a strong field-to-fork ethos. Head chef Jack Clayton (ex The Gurnard’s Head) and consultant chef Emily Watkins (The Kingham Plough) have developed one of those menus from which you’d be happy to eat anything. Bar snacks are moreish (including homemade Scotch eggs, local oysters and a Yarg and Tribute rarebit), and there are classics such as fish pie, steak and chips, and burgers (albeit on a brioche with Cornish Yarg and pickles). We enjoyed the summery crab, pea and radish risotto, and the hake with chorizo and a warm potato and fennel salad got the thumbs up. Much of the produce is grown or reared on the Antony Estate. Otherwise, it’s caught or bought locally. There also is a general store within the pub, and a café area serves coffee and cake during the day.
Follow the winding lane toward Porthcurnick Beach on the Roseland Peninsula and you’ll find The Rosevine, a part-Georgian hotel and restaurant with rolling gardens that spill out onto the beach. Created with families in mind, visitors can use the indoor pool with a free swimming session before their meal or, on sunnier days, The Rosevine provides an idyllic retreat after hours spent playing on the beach. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, offering sophisticated and reasonably priced dishes. The extensive children’s menu is sure to keep younger ones happy.
Brightly lit, with mod see-through chairs, cheery yellow walls and murals of birds, blossoms and butterflies, Dong Thap is like a cute bubble-tea cafe. But owners Nick Bui and Khanhvan (K.V.) Tran are serious about their food. Their eatery is named for a Vietnamese province known for rice production, and the couple makes all their noodles on-site in an arduous four-day process of soaking, grinding, waiting and extruding. In the pure-tasting broths, the noodles are soft and slippery, yet slightly chewy.
Pro tip: If you're ambitious, try the Pho Super Bowl Challenge: Four liters of broth. Four pounds of noodles. Four pounds of meat. A 90-minute time limit. Anyone who bests the challenge is immortalized on the restaurant’s wall-mounted flat-screen and receives $100. The price of failure: $40.