It has been a while since I've done a My {5} post, so today I thought I would share five of my favorite sit-down restaurants, including local establishments and national chains.
{1}
One thing I can say about Sahib is that you don't go there for the atmosphere, but the food is outstanding (at least in my somewhat limited experience with Indian food outside of India). I feel very fortunate to have a place to chow down on some Cholle Bhatura, a bowl of Chicken Saag Wala with garlic naan, and a decent Mango Lassi.
{2}
It's no secret that we are fans of the folks who work at our local Carrabba's. The food is never disappointing, and their ever-changing menu means that there's always something new to try. Carrabba's was the first place I ever found eggplant that I liked, discovered that cooked broccoli didn't have to be slathered in sub-par cheese sauce to be edible, and fell in love with fish.
{3}
If you're a fan of Thai food, Tomy Thai will not disappoint. We discovered this local joint through the recommendation of a co-worker, and once we went, we had to go back. If you order it "Thai Hot", expect to sweat! The portion sizes are large enough that I get two meals out of one, though the atmosphere leaves something to be desired, but the food is fantastic and the prices are decent.
{4}
This is another one of our "go to" chains (owned by the same parent company as Carrabba's). Their steaks are good, they offer baked sweet potatoes (South Beach Stage 2 approved), and their dark brown bread is always a hit. One recent addition to their menu that has us going back for more is the Chicken Artichoke Flatbread appetizer. If you haven't tried it, you should. It's healthier than the Bloomin' Onion (though those are hard to resist), and we like it enough to order it every time we go.
{5}
Another local favorite, Cooties isn't much to look at, but they have outstanding wood-fired pizzas, huge sandwiches, great salads, addictive black bean Nachos Grande, and an out-of-this-world Key Lime pie. For those of you who don't live close enough to try it - you truly have my sympathy. In fact, it's probably their fault that I chose to highlight five of my favorite restaurants today, because I'm eating some leftover Wood Burner pizza as I write this ... Mmmm!
Do YOU have a favorite local (or national) spot?
Yum. I had totally forgotten about Shahib. I haven't been there in years. And I still haven't found an Indian restaurant I like as much. I second Cootie Brown's and their key lime pie. And DEFINITELY agree with Tomy Thai (we used to drive to KP when it was there... and we actually visited the new one on our latest trip home!).
ReplyDeleteI also have to add two other of my local favorites... I love Cranberries for lunch. And I love, love Firehouse. Texas BBQ doesn't even come close. Daniel and I drag the entire family to eat barbecue every time we come back to town :)
Erika - Firehouse totally should have made the list, but I didn't think about it until I was sharing this post on Facebook this morning. I tried correcting that oversight on there, but YES - Firehouse rocks!! In fact, we have plans to go there tonight with my family (not to rub it in or anything!). :-)
DeleteNever tried Sahib, always wondered if it was any good...thanks for letting me know! I'll have to try it!
ReplyDeleteHope you try it AND like it! :-)
DeleteYes, I love Carrabas and Outback! Unfortunately our little neck o the woods doesn't have any place that I'm particularly fond of. If we head into No. Georgia, there is a great, authentic Mexican food spot. I love mexican food--probably my Colorado roots showing :-) But for a must-visit recommendation, I suggest The Bavarian Restaurant and Biergarden. It's off of I-26, north of Asheville, and serves THE best German we've tasted since leaving Augsburg in 1994. You'll experience true Bavarian "Gemütlichkeit" (good feelings)!
ReplyDeleteMmmm...that sounds fantastic, Linda! There's actually a little German restaurant in downtown J.C. that we've visited a time or two, and their food is pretty good (though when we went with a friend who lived in Germany while in the military, he thought it was just "ok"). We'll have to keep that in mind the next time we're in the Asheville area - thanks!
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