#3 (Top 5 Restaurants-Best Thanksgiving); New American cuisine offering comfort food with big flavors and sustainable ingredients, for carnivores and herbivores alike
[CLOSED]; "a little East Coast formal (a GM in a suit and a chef who likes her vegetables brunoised) and West Coast casual (painted plywood floors, hawsers strung from the ceiling and diners in jeans)"
since 1947; U-shaped counter w/ 26 stools surrounding cooking station; same throwback decor from 1940's; down the street from Fox Studios...frequent celebrity sightings including John Lithgow, Julia Roberts, Warren Beatty, Sigourney Weaver, Jonas Brothers & Leonardo DiCaprio
est. 1920; classic Route 66 roadhouse; celebrity sightings include Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Jim Morrison (drunken Morrison urinated on the bar...they had to throw him out) and Janis Joplin (Joplin had her last meal here); tradition: trade in your licence place for a free bowl of chili
Shrimp & Crawfish Etoufee stew slow-cooked in cast iron w/ housemade roux trinity, shrimp, crawfish tail in green Creole sauce; served w/ Creole herb rice
El Diablo Burger Challenge 3-lbs of burger patties & shrimp drenched in El Diablo sauce made of 3 spiciest peppers in the world (ghost chilies, Trinidad Scorpions, & Carolina Reapers) in 60 min; Casey lost
Pancake Monster Challenge five buttermilk pancakes layered w/ 4 strips of bacon, 2 sausage patties, an 8-oz ham steak, & an 8-oz country fried steak, topped w/ 3 eggs any style, all on a bed of house home fries; finish it (total of 5.5-lbs) by yourself in under an hour, it's on the house; Casey lost
#55 (101 More Amazing Places to Chowdown); since 1973; landmark in Old Town San Diego's Historic Walking District; festive atmosphere w/ "Mexican Tortilla Ladies", splashing fountains & strolling mariachis; numerous awards including Best Mexican restaurant & best margaritas (w/ over 120 tequilas to choose from)
[CLOSED]; since 2009; owner/chef Charlie Ayers is formerly “the chef who fed Google” & used to cook for The Grateful Dead; Other Recipes: Citrus Carnitas
#1 (Top 5 Restaurants-Best Late Night Eats); since 1931; Art Deco decor & trademark autumn leaves ceiling; open 24 hours & only closed on Jewish holidays; Marilyn Monroe, Jack Benny, Elizabeth Taylor, Sydney Poitier, Mel Brooks, Wilt Chamberlain, Brooke Shields, Bill Cosby have eaten here; adjacent Kibitz Room features a full bar and small stage where Guns 'n' Roses played when starting out
Cereal over 2 dozen cereals to choose from + choice of 30 toppings; choose either 1 of 16 standard combos or "cereal my way" (mix and match yourself); customers choose from their favorite brands and toppings; pajama-clad Cereologists fill the orders; served in Chinese take-out container
