Unique Restaurants
skibum609
Massachusetts
Tell us about a unique restaurant that you know and why we should eat there. One of the better things about New England is that we cherish the past, so we have a lot of restaurants that have been around for a long, long time. Union Oyster House in Boston is the longest continually operated restaurant in the country; Black Horse Tavern is the oldest Tavern in America and if you recall history back in the day, you will recall Henry Wadsworth Longfellow of Paul Rever's ride fame, Longfellow's wayside in in Sudbury Mass where I ate with my mom in Aust, opened in 1716. Nothing so commercial here because my pick is Polly's Pancake Parlor.
Polly's is in Northern New Hampshire, in a very rural, sort of remote area. In fact, the best view of the White Mountains and Mt. Washingtons around is from their parking lot. 8 years ago Polly's moved to its current locale in a large barn-like structure. It seats a lot of people, far more than the falling apart original, which is now gone. Polly's is in year 85 of being a breakfast spot and remains family owned. We got there at 9:45 on Saturday and lucked into 2 seats at the counter as every seat was taken and the wait for a table was 60 minutes. Given the remoteness of this place it's almost inconceivable to get 250 people for breakfast.
The food at Polly's is great and always has been. Everything is scratch. They make old fashioned small pancakes, not the hubcap sized ones of today, but the old kind 3.5 - 4 inches across. They make many distinct kinds such as sourdough, buttermilk, buckwheat, gluten free, corn meal, blueberry etc. What makes their pancakes unique is that your server, not the cooks, make them and they are not from a mix, nor store bought flour: they stone grind all their pancake flour. They make their own maple spread, which blows away maple syrup on pancakes. They make their own English muffins from scratch. The beef for the breakfast burger is grass fed. The eggs come from outside your window. Everything on the menu is locally sourced (even the hot sauce) from local farms or made by them. It is a gourmet breakfast in the country and makes you feel like you were on Green Acres. It is amazing. Where do you recommend?
Polly's is in Northern New Hampshire, in a very rural, sort of remote area. In fact, the best view of the White Mountains and Mt. Washingtons around is from their parking lot. 8 years ago Polly's moved to its current locale in a large barn-like structure. It seats a lot of people, far more than the falling apart original, which is now gone. Polly's is in year 85 of being a breakfast spot and remains family owned. We got there at 9:45 on Saturday and lucked into 2 seats at the counter as every seat was taken and the wait for a table was 60 minutes. Given the remoteness of this place it's almost inconceivable to get 250 people for breakfast.
The food at Polly's is great and always has been. Everything is scratch. They make old fashioned small pancakes, not the hubcap sized ones of today, but the old kind 3.5 - 4 inches across. They make many distinct kinds such as sourdough, buttermilk, buckwheat, gluten free, corn meal, blueberry etc. What makes their pancakes unique is that your server, not the cooks, make them and they are not from a mix, nor store bought flour: they stone grind all their pancake flour. They make their own maple spread, which blows away maple syrup on pancakes. They make their own English muffins from scratch. The beef for the breakfast burger is grass fed. The eggs come from outside your window. Everything on the menu is locally sourced (even the hot sauce) from local farms or made by them. It is a gourmet breakfast in the country and makes you feel like you were on Green Acres. It is amazing. Where do you recommend?
36 comments
Another Alexandria restaurant, Fontaine's, has wonderful crepes, both sweet and savory and an excellent wine list. It's owner is a Vietnamese lady who is just delightful.
At one time, Indiana had more cafeterias than any other state. The food there appealed to the dominant ethnic groups. The MCL cafeteria chain is still here. The last time I went I got fried chicken, corn on the cob, cole slaw and blueberry pie. Pies are popular there. Sugar cream pie is considered the state pie and MCL also has that along with apple pie, cherry pie, pumpkin pie and lemon meringue pie. I also go to Shapiro's cafeteria downtown. That is run by a Jewish family. I especially like the Jewish rye bread, which I get with my meal. I also like the Workingman's Friend east of downtown. It's an old tavern that has been there a hundred years. I sit at the counter and get a hamburger, iced tea and French fries. I stopped there last Friday night while heading for Dancers strip club on the east side.
Heart attack grill in Vegas is a pretty unique touristy experience.
Around here, there's a lot of restaurants with mob history. Umberto's Clam House, Sparks Steakhouse etc. There was a spot near me growing up when I was a kid that had a mob shooting, that stuff was way more common back then now https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/p…
You can order a Cheeseburger or plain Hamburger served on a piece of wax paper.... that's it. The only add on available is a large slice of sweet raw onion.... one of the best burgers I've ever had.
You tell the bar tender what you had for food and drinks and they'll ring you up; cash only. Sice 1941:
https://www.millersbar.com/
Alas, it went out of business. Anybody know of a similar place in my adopted home of the United States of America? ROAR!!!
https://fire-ice.com/
For a classic LA burger experience
https://www.hinanocafevenice.com/
Al and Bea's for old skool la style Mexican
http://alandbeas.com/
In Vegas Hamburger Hut
https://www.hamburgerhutlv.com/
Los Arcos taco shop
https://birria-bite.com/
If you like Ethiopian food. Yeshi Mart is unassuming but is the best I've ever had
https://yeshimart.wordpress.com/restaura…
https://joejosts.com/
https://www.courtoftwosisters.com/
Been there since 1714. Still has a great bar, great view of the Bay, and good food. Live music. Almost respectable, but not stuffy.
The Lobby Bar and Grille at the Brown Hotel in Louisville Kentucky is located within a century old hotel and absolutely embodies the meaning of old school southern hospitality. Their Hot Brown with some Smokey Mac n Cheese and a nice flight of bourbon is my ideal comfort food.
I don't remember the name of the small town on Rt 2 between Point Pleasant and Huntington West Virginia where you'll find Hillbilly Hot Dogs but it is well worth the drive if you're in the area. It is exactly what you would expect of a place named Hillbilly Hot Dogs and it plays up every stereotype about West Virginia.
https://www.safe-house.com/
I grew up in MA, where Mom and Pop restaurant food is practically an art form. I could have easily named 4 or 5 just near where I used to live up there before I left and several others in surrounding towns, but it's been so long that I don't know which ones still exist and are as good as they used to be. The culinary standards or so much higher there that it blew my mind how bad the restaurant food was in so many other places when I moved away. Everything is just so much better, even simple stuff like pub grub, small breakfast joints, pizza (including bar pizzas, something not very common elsewhere) and Chinese food. It's one of the reasons that I had to bite the bullet and start cooking my own food once I moved to the NY metro area.
Anyway, with the whining over, I will give an honorable mention to Westfair Fish & Chips in Westport CT. It's a hole in the wall takeout joint with a small number of tables buried in the back of a small shopping plaza on Rt 1, but the food is excellent. They serve fresh off the boat scallops, whole belly clams, a variety of fish, etc., etc. The food quality rivals what I'd find in much larger seafood joints on the east coast of MA. They are cash only, but that doesn't seem to be hurting them. The food is so good that the placed is often slammed at lunch time with large takeout orders. I myself have picked up large lunch orders from the joint and had to walk in with a strip club wad in my pocket to pay for it, lol.
We’ll never see anything like it again in todays environment.
RD: You enjoy a good meal to well to suggest that your neck of the woods is barren of choices. You also travel, come on now - belly up and at least offer best meal out this year!
Apparently George Washington was at the bar when he was informed of his friend Arnold's plans to give up West Point. A portrait of Arnold was hanging in the tavern and in his anger Washington turned it upside down. It still hangs that way. They also say that Alexander Hamilton lived upstairs from the bar for around two years.
It's an interesting place and the food is pretty good too.
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