Totally.
Is why I love my Thursday night burritoville on the upper east side back in the day
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Happy Hour Lobster Roll at Public is great.
Oakhartâs kitchen has been on a tear lately: little gems salad, whole fried flounder, key lime parfait is a fantastic date meal.
Tacos from Tacos Gomez food truck across from the CVS at Pantops.
Burger and a beer from Hogwaller Brewing then walk nextdoor to SugarBear for a scoop.
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Ah, Alley Light is fantastic. Just ate there Friday night to belatedly celebrate older daughterâs birthday (she turned 21 and I can think of no better place to celebrate it) and Tavola is always fantastic. It was the first place we ate when we re-entered the world after Covid.
Fleurie also terrific, and along those lines C&O is an obvious favorite that still deserves its rep.
Quality Pie is also an absolute gem, but they only do dinner Thurs-Sat, I think, and its pretty idiosyncratic. Tomas is a genius, he was head chef at Mas during its glory days, but since getting his own place he basically only cooks whatever he feels like cooking. Which is mostly going to be seafood tapas-style stuff with the occasional braised oxtail, all done his way. And if thatâs not what youâre feeling, then thatâs too bad so its not to everyoneâs taste. When he and Mary are out holding court, its almost more like going to a big dinner party at a friendâs house.
Edit - They relatively recently stopped serving breakfast, which was a huge loss. The crowd of regulars they had was wild. I think their business is mostly catering now.
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People overlook/forget Ten. Great if youâre in a group of 4 or more to share plates.
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Love Quality Pie. We have probably been at dinner there at the same time, haha. Idiosyncratic is definitely right and I wish heâd post the menus more often, but when our tastes line up with what heâs into for the week, itâs definitely one of our favorite places in town. I like the dinner party comparison; I usually liken it to eating in someoneâs kitchen. Itâs a fun contrast to have the super informal setting with fancy chef-driven dishes. Best fried calamari in town too.
They are still doing lunch on their open days too, FYI.
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Need a recommendation for tonight- larger group 8-10
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Fellinis bro
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You never took me anywhere that nice
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Some have already done Italian twice this week
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Was a trick. Fellinis is gone
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The local in Belmont? The whiskey jar downtown?
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Kanak: I prefer to Milan nowadays and has lots of seating
Inka Grill (5th street): Atmosphere is kinda whatev, but the ceviche is pretty good, and you can get drinks there
Sultan Kebab: Has a nice big table on its own level, feels like a nice place to gather
Al Carbon (29 North location): Maybe more casual than what youâre looking for, but I could eat a cemita everyday
South and Central: I waffle some on whether itâs worth the price but it has lots of space, so this is the break in case of emergency option
Bizou: Can you get 10 in here? Dunno. Havenât been in a while because sometimes itâs mid, but my in-laws went recently and liked it, and theyâre choosy
Crushpad + Luce: Has one big table. Maybe not enough non-Italian options, because sometimes only the Luce menu is worth getting.
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Second on the Local - not because itâs great, but for a large group the menu is diverse enough to have something for everyone and the service isnât overwhelmed by a large group in my experience.
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You have preference on location downtown? West Main? Belmont? Outskirts?
Dr Hoâs.
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Probably too late, but Smyrna is great
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We had Littlejohnâs a few weeks ago during my reunion, and it was below average. Take It Away, on the other hand, was excellent.
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For a larger group downtown Iâd recommend Citizen Burger. They can accommodate bigger parties, have a wide menu to please everyone, and the outdoor space is nice for a large group gathering.
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Ekandado is jumpin on the scene like Chubb Rock in 1990. Love it
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