United States Archives - Page 19 of 24 - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

Woodman’s of Essex – Essex, Massachusetts

Gil GardunoSeptember 23, 2009July 8, 20249:34 PM

If you can imagine what New Mexico would be like without green chile or the South without barbecue, you can understand what New England would be without fried clams. Like our beloved green chile, fried clams are an iconic food, so much so that they are almost synonymous with states like Maine and Massachusetts in which they are harvested and sold. It’s almost a wonder the license plate mottos in at least one of those two states isn’t “The Fried Clam State.” As with our cherished chile, fried clams have a distinctive, unforgettable flavor that not everybody “gets.” Similar to chile, those who love fried clams are usually ensnared at first bite by this distinctly delicious delicacy. Like green chile,…

Massachusetts Seafood

Union Oyster House – Boston, Massachusetts

Gil GardunoSeptember 21, 2009July 21, 20189:50 PM

The Union Oyster House, in continuous operation since 1826, is not only the oldest restaurant in Boston, it’s the oldest restaurant in continuous service in America. In fact, it’s housed in a building which predates the American Revolution. Union Street in which it is situated was laid out in 1626 and while there are no municipal records documenting the Oyster House’s construction, there is more than anecdotal evidence that it was built as early as the 1710s. A major landmark for more than a quarter millennium, the Union Oyster House is not officially one of the sixteen nationally significant historic sites that comprise the Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile red-brick walking trail that leads you through treasured American landmarks. Still…

Italian Massachusetts Rated 26 Steak

Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse – Boston, Massachusetts

Gil GardunoSeptember 21, 2009July 8, 20248:16 PM

“When I talk about a great dish, I often get goose bumps. I’m like, whoa, I’ll never forget that one. The Italians are just like that. It’s not all about food. It’s part of the memory.” ~Mario Batali When discussing my upcoming trip to Boston with Dave Hurayt, it evoked a nostalgic sentiment in a fellow gastronome whose opinion on food I respect. As a graduate student matriculating at one of the fine universities in the “Cradle of Modern America,” Dave knew where his priorities lay. Academic pursuits aside, Dave’s priorities included discovering the best restaurants in Boston, a pursuit I engaged in myself when living there from 1977-1979. One of Dave’s favorite Boston restaurants was Davio’s which he describes…

Bakery Massachusetts Rated 26

Mike’s Pastry – Boston, Massachusetts

Gil GardunoSeptember 21, 2009July 8, 20247:39 PM

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the founder of the Transcendentalist movement of the 19th century, called America the “Utopian product of a culturally and racially mixed “smelting pot.” Melting pot rapidly became one of the most frequently used metaphors for describing America. The term describes the fusion of different nationalities, ethnicities, religions and cultures to form a new, ostensibly better community, a heterogeneous whole. Implicit in the term melting pot is the way ingredients in the pot combine so as to subord (but not lose entirely) their discrete identities, yielding a final product with a more uniform flavor and consistency, but which is distinctly different from the original components. It’s the reason Italian neighborhoods in America have some semblance to, but aren’t…

Closed in 2012 Gone But Not Forgotten Massachusetts Seafood

Kingfish Hall – Boston, Massachusetts (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoSeptember 20, 2009July 21, 20187:57 PM

“Endorse what you love.” That’s the message NASCAR driver Tony Stewart delivers to Eric Estrada, Carrot Top and a host of other candidates the stature of which usually grace Dancing With The Stars and other dreadful reality shows. If the television commercial is to be believed, what Stewart loves is Burger King, the fast food sponsor who supplanted Subway on the hood of his car and which is now paying for Stewart’s love. What it seems celebrities, including celebrity chefs, love most is having their names and smiling countenances visible to the general public and getting paid wheelbarrow’s full of money for the privilege. Do you really believe Food Network glitterati Guy Fieri loves TGI Fridays or that Applebee’s can…

Italian Massachusetts Rated 25

Sportello – Boston, Massachusetts

Gil GardunoSeptember 19, 2009July 8, 20243:24 PM

In its April, 2009 edition Saveur magazine feted “12 restaurants that matter,” profiling a dozen restaurants that “represent the best of dining in America today.” Although that title may at first browse sound a bit condescending, the premise of the article was that restaurants are special places. ”Everybody has to eat, but going out to eat is a choice.” The one choice of the Saveur sages which most intrigued me was a restaurant in Boston that had been open for less than one year, but which had already been drawing rave reviews. It wasn’t those reviews that likely swayed the decision to name Sportello one of a distinctive dozen. It was probably the execution of a concept under the masterful…

Arizona Burgers Closed in 2020 Gone But Not Forgotten United States

Delux Burger – Phoenix, Arizona (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoMay 17, 2009April 26, 20225:07 PM

“I ordered a cheeseburger at lunch the other day. I had never eaten at this particular restaurant before, and whenever I am unsure about the quality of the food at a place, I always order a cheeseburger. How many ways can you foul up something as simple as a cheeseburger? The bread can be too hard, or the meat might not be cooked to your liking, but that can be fixed quite easily. After I ordered my cheeseburger – medium well with a soft bun – the waiter asked me, “Do you want a plain cheeseburger or one of our specialties?” There is such a thing as a specialty cheeseburger? A cheeseburger is a piece of hamburger meat with some cheese on top of…

American Arizona Closed in 2014 Gone But Not Forgotten Rated 25 United States

Orange Table – Scottsdale, Arizona (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoMay 16, 2009July 24, 20242:22 AM

There are several scenes in the delightfully heartwarming animated Disney movie Ratatouille that resonate with all gastronomes who delight in the sensual pleasures of the dining experience–those for whom food is an enchanting adventure in the discernment and love of its subtle nuances and overt fragrances, tastes, textures and colors. France’s preeminent chef Anton Gasteau, a pivotal character in the movie, describes this sensual adventure best: “Good food is like music you can taste, color you can smell. There is excellence all around you. You need only be aware to stop and savor it.” The scene which may resonate best with this gastronome is when Remy (a provincial rat with a heightened sense of smell and with aspirations of becoming…

Arizona Closed in 2018 Gone But Not Forgotten New Mexican United States

Los Dos Molinos – Springerville, Arizona (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoAugust 23, 2008July 24, 20248:47 PM

Just how hot is the chile at Los Dos Molinos? The New York Times suggests you “travel with a fire extinguisher” and that “everything, with the exception of the margaritas, is incendiary.” New York magazine raves that “Not since Drew flashed Dave has Manhattan witnessed a hotter display than the one at Los Dos Molinos.” The Arizona Central dining guide asks “can you take the heat,” calling Los Dos Molinos “the lodestone for leather tongues.” Now these are all unimpeachable sources with impeccable credibility (at least when it comes to restaurants), but the source that got my attention quickest was a Garfield comic strip in which the irascible cat is challenged to a hot pepper eating contest by Jon, Garfield’s…

Closed in 2010 Colorado Gone But Not Forgotten Rated 27 Steak United States

The Hamilton Chop House – Durango, Colorado (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoAugust 21, 2008August 28, 20246:17 PM

The Land of Enchantment with its 121,356 square miles of deserts, mesas, rivers, mountains, forests, cities and villages is the fifth largest state in the country. In 2007, Albuquerque’s KOAT television station began a recurring series in which the station treated its viewers to an aerial perspective of many of the communities in its viewing area. That unique bird’s eye view perspective was captured from Sky 7, the station’s news helicopter. In 2008, the station expanded its coverage, sending news anchor and New Mexico native Royale Dá skyward once again to show viewers the challenges faced by the communities featured on the series and how they are dealing with those challenges. Royale was joined by city leaders from throughout the viewing area who boarded Sky 7…

Arizona Closed in 2022 Fusion Gone But Not Forgotten United States

Chino Bandido – Chandler, Arizona (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJune 25, 2008July 24, 20246:51 PM

Gustavo Arellano has the right idea. The brilliant and hilarious author of Ask A Mexican, a widely syndicated alternative newspaper column, confronts the “bogeymen of racism, xenophobia, and ignorance” with humor. In his weekly column, he defeats stereotypes and those who wield them by using deprecatory wit to exaggerate those stereotypes to the point of the ridiculous. In the Language chapter of his uproarious book, he provides a list of commonly used Mexican terms and phrases so that “you, too, can become a Mexican.” The book defines a “Chino” as “literally “Chinese,” but the catchall phrase Mexicans use for all Asians regardless of nationality.” This is clarified with the example: “Vietnamese food is my favorite Chino cuisine.” I found it…