Where would you take a guest to dine?

[Beth]

Whenever someone posts a recommendation, I like to google to see if they are online. This is the link for Steve's recommendation. It looks like a unique place and if I ever get to the area, one I would love to visit.

[Beth]

I will try to backfill links to other recommendations.

I know that this isn't around the Austin area but when we go to visit Gwen in Peoria we most often stay in Springfield IL because we like staying at La Quinta hotels because they are dog friendly. When we stay in Springfield we always hit this place Charlie Parker's  

It's only open for breakfast and lunch but man it has good food--it's even been on Diners, Drive-in, and Dives.  If you are new in the area I would recommend trying a Horseshoe--if you have a huge appetite and a Pony if you have a more moderate one.  Personally I couldn't even eat the Pony because it was a lot of food.

Horseshoes are a Springfield IL area thing, it's toast with a meat like ham, french fries and then cheese sauce.  There are all sorts of combinations of ingredients and everyone in the area has their own version.

Personally I love their eggs benedict and find they have a great cup of coffee-nothing fancy just coffee.

[mac]

If I take you to the beach near where I live then we could go to Stoke House. On the taco theme they have a King Prawn (=large shrimp) Taco on the bar menu; delicious!

stokehouse.com.au/melbourne/

If we go to the city then Melbourne is famous for its laneways/alley/arcade restaurants and bars we could take several days worth of walking and eating. Take a digital tour if you are looking for some online tourism. Do not miss Hosier Lane which is famous for its graffiti.

www.visitmelbourne.com/regions/melbourne/destinations/laneways

If you are a steak fiend then we will go to Bank Place and visit the Mitre Tavern the oldest pub in town. The steakhouse upstairs is renowned.

www.mitretavern.com.au/

If you are looking at menus then you need to know a $A is about $US 0.70. Also in Australia people get paid to do their job so there is no tipping expected, you can tip if you want to, but the menu price is the price and that is it.

Cheers

[Beth]

I find menus interesting and restaurant web sites interesting, they set the tone for a place. I especially like ones from outside of the US because things we expect to see on a menu might be missing and I wonder why or there will be more information and I wish that I would see that information on US menus--like on that Mitre Tavern steak menu. It explains where the meat comes from and if it is grass or grain fed-very nice information even though I don't have much of a clue the regions the menu are referring to. In the US though if I saw Midwest grain fed, I know what that means. The same for the term "grass fed, grain finished" or just 'grass fed'. Personally I like to even know where the 'grass fed' beef came from because I swear it makes a difference in the taste.

I don't know if people often think of how their meat is described-each word is or should be carefully selected on a menu. For example Angus means a breed, it does not mean that the meat is superior, than say Hereford or shorthorn you can have really poor meat from an Angus and really good--it depends on how the animal was raised. I believe though Certified Angus beef has a higher standard than just Angus though I would have to check to see what the difference is.

BTW the thing that I wondered about the Mitre menu was is that in about 90% of US menus it lists the sides like 'soup or salad, choice of potato so on' but it wasn't on the Mitre menu. It made me wonder if it was the type of restaurant you order your protein for one price and everything else is ala carte or if in Australia certain sides are a given and just not put on the menu.

[mac]

Depends on the place Beth. If you look at the Mitre Tavern menu for the Tavern bar you will see that meals are served with salad and fries. A choice of seasonal vegetables or salad and fries is usual in most places but higher end restaurants, like the Steakhouse at Mitre, now go with the protein and sauce, then sides are extra.

Most of the cafes around town give you a full meal rather than just protein and then pay more for sides. Simpler is much more my "speed".

Here are two interesting bars; if you did not know they exist they would be hard to find, hard to find is in now; you must be "in the know".

Berlin Bar

www.weekendnotes.com/berlin-bar/

berlinbar.com.au/#willyoudare

Jungle Boy

www.timeout.com/melbourne/bars/jungle-boy

You go into a sandwich shop and enter the bar through the refrigerator door .

How do I know?

I have children  

Cheers and I do mean cheers

[Beth]

I agree about children-they can find the coolest places to eat. Sam took us to a couple of places in Cedar Rapids that we would have never tried on our own because from the outside they looked like what one would call a 'greasy spoon' place. (Am I though only one to use that term?)

They turned out to be quite 'hip' one doing really unique burgers and drink combination and the other a old gas station (and it still looked like an old gas station) that had been converted to brew pub. I'm not such an old dog that I can't learn from my kids.

[deadwoodgultch]

This week and for the next 5 weeks or so I would recommend dining right here, along the Chesapeake Bay. The crabs are running good, they are larger, and they are doubling up(mating). Seemingly more large Soft Crabs as well. Fishing has a greater variety, though always good. Yesterday took Carolyn out by Kayak to show her where to harvest Mussels. I won't take many, but they are so good with a Garlic Butter sauce. Oysters are right here in our creek as well, they help to clean and filter the water, but they also taste so good, raw, steamed, and fried. Bon Appetit.

Regards,
Tom

[deadwoodgultch]

Neglected to mention, we are starting to get some Carolina Black tails here(shrimp). There have always had them in the lower bay, but their numbers and range is increasing. They are white shrimp, denoted by a black trim on the tails. They are the same as FL/ Gulf shrimp. We dond get any of the pink or brown shrimp up here. All three of these edible shrimp species look very similar, but you can tell them apart if you look closely. White shrimp has a lighter color than brown or pink shrimp. Tail flippers (uropods) on white shrimp are black near the base with bright yellow and green along the edges. Brown shrimp tails are red, dark green, and occasionally light blue in color. Pink shrimp have a light purplish-blue tail, and usually a dark red spot on the side of the abdomen.

I am really poor with a cast net and would starve if that was the only tool I had available.

Regards,
Tom

[yanmacca]

Funny enough, me and Suzy are joining five others for a meal at this place this coming Wednesday.
It is a 50th party in a way for one us, who lives on her own, so we are all treating her to a meal and a few drinks;link