Restaurants Archives - Page 2 of 2

Palm Springs, CA: Eating & Drinking

Restaurants – Plenty to choose from, but here are my favorites (generally old school of some sort):

- Agave Grill & Bar (Palm Desert)
- Bootlegger Tiki (Palm Springs)
- Chi Chi at the Avalon (Palm Springs)
- Cork Tree California Cuisine (Palm Desert)
- Daily Grill (Palm Desert)
- El Mirasol at Los Arboles (Palm Springs)
- El Mirasol Restaurant (Palm Springs)
- Fresh Agave Mexican Bar & Grill (Palm Desert)
- Guillermo’s Restaurante (Palm Desert)
- IW Live (Indian Wells)
- Jake’s (Palm Springs)
- King’s Highway Diner (Palm Springs)
- La Vallauris (Palm Springs)
- Las Casuelas Nuevas (Palm Springs)
- Lord Fletcher’s Restaurant (Rancho Mirage)
- Melvyn’s Restaurant (Palm Springs Piano Bar)
- Mimmo’s Italian Restaurant & Bar (Palm Desert)
- Original Las Casuelas (Rancho Mirage)
- Pacifica Seafood Restaurant (Palm Desert)
- Pueblo Viejo Grill (Palm Desert)
- The Reef (Palm Springs)
- Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill (Palm Springs)
- Shields Date Garden (Indio)
- Spencer’s Restaurant (Palm Springs)
- Sullivan’s Steakhouse (Palm Desert)
- Tommy Bahama Restaurant (Palm Desert)
- Tommy Bahama / Marlin Bar (Palm Springs)
- Tonga Hut Tiki Bar & Restaurant (Palm Springs)
- The Tropicale (Palm Springs)
- Vicky’s of Sante Fe (Indian Wells)

Nashville, TN: Eating & Drinking

Pretty much everything listed here has a great spread for food, excellent cocktails and live music! Clubs that are JUST music and drink are listed in the section below this one.

- 12 South Taproom & Grill
- Acme Feed & Seed
- Amerigo Italian Restaurant
- Barlines
- BB King’s Blues Club
- Black Rabbit
- Bourbon Street Blue & Boogie
- Etch Restaurant (food only)
- Fleet Street Pub
- Frothy Monkey (food only)
- Honky Tonk Central
- McNamara’s Irish Pub & Restaurant
- Nudie’s Honky Tonk
- Ole Red Nashville
- The Palm Nashville
- The Patterson House
- Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant
- Red Phone Booth (Speakeasy)
- Rudy’s Jazz Room
- Sambuca
- Southern Steak & Oyster (food only)
- Virago
- Wildhorse Saloon

Memphis, TN: Eating & Drinking

Food in Memphis is wickedly decadant. I would recommend using Yelp.com to search for the food you like, or here’s some of my favorites (usually with at least one healthy item on the menu) near Beale Street, most with live music:

- Alfred’s on Beale (w/live music)
- B.B. Kings Blues Club & Restaurant (w/live music)
- Blues City Cafe (w/live music)
- Flight (small plates)
- Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken
- Hard Rock Cafe (w/life music)
- Itta Bena Southern Dining
- Jerry Lee Lewis Cafe & Honky Tonk (w/live music)
- King’s Palace Cafe (w/live music)
- Lew’s Blew Note Bar & Grill (w/live music)
- Mesquite Chop House (Steak & seafood)
- Rum Boogie Cafe (w/live music)
- Silky O’Sullivan’s (w/live music)
- Sleep Out Louie’s Oyster Bar
- Spindini Italian Restaurant
- Tin Roof Memphis (w/live music)
- Wet Willie’s (w/live music)

MAP

Key West, FL: Eating & Drinking

Restaurants/Pubs/Bars – Just about every restaurant/bar in Key West has a thriving live music schedule. This is a long list mostly because I go here so often, I keep finding hidden gems:

- A&B Lobster House (food/drink only)
- Amsterdam’s Curry Mansion Inn (B&B, too!)
- Blue Heaven (Casual, historic, live entertainment)
- B.O.’s Fishwagon (Fried fish & conch fritters)
- Boondocks Grille & Draft House (Tiki with great food & entertainment)
- The Bull & Whistle Bar (drink/entertainment only)
- Captain Tony’s Saloon (Old school, festive pub)
- Chart Room (drinks only at Pier House)
- Conch Republic Seafood Company (Best local live music)
- Dante’s Restaurant & Pool Bar (Tiki bar with seafood)
- First Flight Island Restaurant (birthplace of Pam Am World Airlines)
- General Horseplay (music, food, cocktails & tomfoolery)
- Green Parrot Bar (first and last bar on US1)
- Hank’s Hair of the Dog (live music w/full bar & food truck)
- Half Shell Bar (food/drink only at original Key West fish house)
- Hogs Breath Saloon (favorite watering hole with live entertainment)
- Island Dogs (all meals and live bands)
- Key West Theater (local live theater w/snacks)
- Lagerheads Beach Bar (most popular beach bar w/live entertainment)
- Lighthouse Court Hotel Bars (craft cocktails & live music)
- Louie’s Backyard (food/drink only established in 1983)
- Margaritaville (live music at the mother ship)
- Margaritaville Resort (plus live music, food & drinks)
- Pelican Landing Condos (live music, drinks & snacks)
- Pepe’s Café & Steak House (food/drink only)
- Rams Head Southernmost (Blue Macaw Island Eats since 1989)
- Red Shoe Island Bistro (local’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus music)
- Rick’s Bar (nightspot w/themed lounge, dance club & live music)
- Sandbar Sports Grill (live music and plenty of sports)
- Schooner Wharf Bar (funky, open-air bar with live music)
- Sloppy Joe’s Bar (traditional Duval stomping ground)
- Smokin’ Tuna Saloon (open air hangout w/seafood & live music)
- Southernmost Beach Café (food/drink only)
- Sugar Apple Organic Café & Market (food/drink only)
- Suite Dreams Inn (Guest house w/live music)
- Sunrise Deli & Sunset Tiki Bar (tropical cocktails & live music)
- Sunset Pier (Ocean Key Resort w/seafood, drinks & live music)
- Tiki House (historically motivated tiki cocktails & live music)
- Tipsy Rooster (one stop, sip & shop store, bar & live music)
- Two Friends Patio Restaurant (open air food & live music since 1967)
- Waterfront Playhouse (150-seat venue in a historic building)
- Willie T’s Restaurant & Bar (open air food/drink w/live music)

MAP

Chicago, IL: Eating & Drinking

There are SO many wonderful restaurants in Chicago, it is challenging to choose, especially since new ones are always popping up. However, here are a few that I have bookmarked as my favorites and what draws me there:

- Avec (Mediterranean Small Plates)
- Aviary/The Office (Speakeasy)
- Acanto Restaurant & Wine Bar (Italian)
- The Drifter Chicago (Speakeasy)
- The Gage (Iconic Restaurant at Crown Fountains)
- Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse (Steakhouse Icon)
- GT Fish & Oyster (Top Seafood Restaurant)
- Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse (Baseball, food & drink)
- Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House (Finest Seafood)
- King Crab House (Oldest Crabhouse)
- Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen (Since 1942)
- Marisol (Innovative flavors at the MCA)
- Old Town Ale House (Art Filled Dive Bar since 1958)
- Pizzeria Uno & Pizzeria Due (Chicago Deep Dish)
- The Promontory (Hearth to Table)
- The Publican (Eclectic Farmhouse Fare)
- Shaw’s Crab House (Premiere Seafood Restaurant)
- Signature Room (95th Floor of Hancock Center)
- Topo Gigio Ristorante (Old School Fine Italian)

MAP

Seattle, WA: Eating & Drinking

Restaurants/Bars – Only having been here twice, I don’t have a lot of recommendations, but I’ve listed the restaurants that were so wonderful, I actually remembered them:

- Bathtub Gin & Co . – Nestled in basement of old brick hotel!
- Beecher’s Handmade Cheese – “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese!
- Collections Cafe (w/Chihuly Glass) – Visit the collection, too!
- Dahlia Lounge – Local, sustainable and organic – try Coconut Cream Pie!
- Elliott’s Oyster House – On the dock for the boat tours – YUM!
- Five Point Cafe – 24 hours of American meals – grab a Bloody Mary!
- Fran’s Chocolates – Not exactly a restaurant, but mouth watering!
- Lola’s – Pacific Northwest/Greek cuisine w/local ingredients!
- Taylor Shellfish – Oysters, seafood and adult beverages!

Just outside Seattle:

- Copperleaf Restaurant – Just out of the city at Cedarbrook Lodge
- Wally’s ChowderHouse – Actually in Des Moines, WA outside Seattle

MAP

Independence, CA: Eating & Drinking

Restaurants – Again, not much to choose from, but here are my tips:

- The Grill in Lone Pine
- Seasons Restaurant in Lone Pine (FAVORITE)
- Still Life Cafe in Independence

Las Vegas, NV: Eating & Drinking

Restaurants/Bars – There are SO many wonderful restaurants in Las Vegas, it is challenging to choose, especially since new ones are always popping up. However, here are a few that I have bookmarked as my favorites (categorized by general area) and why:

Downtown

- Chart House @ Golden Nugget – Sit next to the salt water fish tank!
- Don’t Tell Mama – Piano Bar on Fremont
- Downtown Cocktail Room – Oldest continually operating bar in DTLV
- Hugo’s Cellar – Old School dining at Four Queens Hotel & Casino
- Joe Vicari’s Andiamo Italian Steakhouse – Fine dining at the D downtown
- Laundry Room – Century’s worth of Sin City Scandal & Debauchery
- Legacy Club @ Circa – Drinks only, but with an amazing view
- Underground Speakeasy – Visit the Roaring Twenties at Mob Museum
- Vic & Anthony’s – Prime steak & seafood at the Golden Nugget

Arts District

- Casa Don Juan Mexican Restaurant – Full of authentic Mexican art
- Esther’s Kitchen – Seasonal Italian neighborhood restaurant
- Jammyland – Tiki bar and Caribbean food
- Letty’s De Leticia’s Cocina – Mexican food with a relaxed ambiance
- Main Street Provisions – Arts District Community-Oriented
- PublicUs – Farm-to-Table sandwiches & pastries
- Red Dwarf – Phenomenal craft beers with nerdy Tiki
- Silver Stamp – Down-to-earth robust beer menu
- Stray Pirate – Sunken dog/Pirateship styled cocktails
- Velveteen Rabbit – Craft cocktails and beer

Off Strip (West)

- Bob Taylors Ranch House – Western themed restaurant since 1955
- Capo’s Restaurant & Speakeasy – Mafia chic Italian favorites
- Gabi’s Coffee & Bakery – Coffee & light bites in warehouse-chic digs
- Golden Tiki – Very fun happy hour drinks and snacks in Chinatown
- Herbs & Rye – Classic Italian & cocktails in moody restaurant & lounge
- Hush Puppy – Finest catfish west of the Mississippi since 1975
- Speakeasy Candle – Cocktails and candle making

Off Strip (East)

- Bahama Breeze – Great seafood OFF the strip
- Casa Di Amore & Tiki Di Amore – Excellent Italian w/outdoor tiki bar
- Firefly Tapas Kitchen & Bar – Lounge Spanish eatery for tapas & cocktails
- Italian American Club – Non-profit social club w/3 dining rooms/bars
- Lotus of Siam – Northern Thai flavors
- Piero’s Italian Cuisine – Off the strip, really old school delicious Italian
- Sicilian Ristorante – Traditional Sicilian meals & wines
- Starboard Tack – 24 hour cocktails and Asian Fusion food

Strip (north of Flamingo)

- Bugsy & Meyer’s @ Flamingo – Vintage era steakhouse
- Cornish Pasty – Cornwall traditional meals!
- Davidoff of Geneva Cigar Bar (Cigars and drinks only)
- Delilah @ Wynn – 1950’s Glam fine dining
- Fireside Lounge @ Peppermill Restaurant – Rat Pack energy
- Golden Monkey Tiki Lounge @ Resorts World – classic Tiki decor
- Golden Steer Steakhouse – Favorite of the Rat Pack & Elvis
- Joe’s Seafood @ Caesars – Old school seafood experience – YUM!
- Margaritaville @ Flamingo – Food varies, but good music & fun vibes
- Sinatra @ Wynn – Classic Italian

Strip (south of Flamingo)

- 1923 Bourbon Bar – @ Mandalay Bay – Swanky speakeasy
- Barbershop Speakeasy @ Cosmopolitan (Go through the Janitor door)
- Bavette’s Steakhouse & Bar @ Park MGM – French flair
- Bootlegger Italian Bistro – Old school Italian w/old school entertainment
- Border Grill – @ Mandalay Bay – Creative traditional Mexican tastes
- Eiffel Tower Restaurant @ Paris – Excellent views worth the $$$
- Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House @ MGM Grand – Creole flavors
- Foundation Room @ Mandalay Bay – International dining
- Ghost Donkey @ Cosmopolitan – Fiesta flights & lounge snacks
- Harvest by Roy Ellamar @ Bellagio – Farm-to-Table
- Island Time Floats – Tiki and Taco @ Grand Bazaar Shops
- L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon @ MGM Grand – French fine dining
- Morimoto @ MGM Grand – Modern Japanese fare
- NoMad Library Restaurant @ Park MGM – French-inspired
- Petrossian Bar @ Bellagio – Martinis, caviar & live piano music
- Picasso @ Bellagio – New French eatery
- Ri Ra Irish Pub @ Mandalay Bay – Traditional Irish eats
- Scarpetta Italian Restaurant @ Cosmopolitan – Sophisticated menu