Esquire: Picnic tables on the grass by the water. Steamed lobsters, caught that day, with drawn butter in paper cups. A beer.
Esquire: this beloved Ethiopian spot makes you feel as though you've joined a family for dinner in their home—even if you happen to be dining alone.
Esquire: 30-ish seat Italian rest burrowed into cliff above Telluride. Nothing easy about getting here (ski a narrow trail) nor easy about getting a seat.; truly perfect food, both cozy & refined
Esquire: Flapjacks on the griddle. Hazy morning sunlight through stained-glass awnings. Foreign currency tacked to a shelf, above the Magic Markered coffee mugs belonging to various regulars.
Esquire: ACI & Lafayette CI are next to each other dwtn, and theirs is a bitter and endless grudge match. Both raise a torch for true regional delight: coneys (hot dogs w/chili, mustard, &raw onion)
Esquire: Decadence in the form of wild game, giant crustaceans, magnificent heads of radicchio, sometimes served raw or cooked over open fire; on the side, copious amounts of caviar and oysters
Esquire: Anteprima’s menu changes daily. Hakurei turnips, breakfast radish, ramps, & morels in spring. Corn & tomatoes in summer. Roots in fall. Squashes, truffles, and alliums through the winter.
Esquire: Nashville wouldn’t be Nashville without red-tray, meat&three comfort of ACK. line up cafeteria-style for juicy roast beef carved to order and creamy chocolate chess pies for dessert.
Esquire: Massive dim sum restaurant is out in Brooklyn’s Chinatown in Sunset Park. With elaborate chandeliers and big banquet tables. Every time we go we get the Peking duck, which is just perfect.
Esquire: Definition of a neighborhood eatery. Go for the Burgundy snails, and footie matches on the TV.
Esquire: They do breakfast and dinner and they do them well, for not many people (it’s tiny) and cash only, and you’ll remember it. Especially the PA Dutch pancakes made with a slice of Jarlsberg.
Esquire: Loop in STL is one of greatest streets of food and music in America. Blueberry Hill for the very best burgers and live music - Chuck Berry played a monthly show here for 200months in a row
Esquire: Locals, tourists from D.C., professors from the small university, all sitting together enjoying buffalo chicken salads and black bean burgers and maybe somebody playing the guitar.
Esquire: Menu sounds straightforward —deviled eggs, a green salad, meatballs, a pork chop—but everything soars because of the chef’s obvious reverence for the ingredients
Esquire: Family-run bistro interprets LA classics from the Creole, Cajun, & Southern canons; Tiny kitchen with abundant Gulf seafood and year-round farm bounty. Pecan pie that will haunt your dreams.
Esquire: known as the place w/best fried chicken in city. sides are exquisite renderings w/rice and gravy, collards, and mac n’ cheese shining. Don’t miss cornmeal-dusted and encrusted catfish
Esquire: If we tell you that Canlis is the “epitome of elegance,” you might get the wrong impression. Canlis has fine-tuned a form of hospitality so effortless that a “fancy” meal feels like a reunion
Esquire: 101 years old; remains a tiled shrine to briny simplicity. You want a “loaf,” which amounts to a heap of fried oysters in between fat slices of white bread. Use a lot of hot sauce
Esquire: Art and aperitivos, pisco and purple corn, neon and neighbors, all pressed together in a tiny, bright vessel designed to amplify joy.
Esquire: A jambalaya studded with pork cheeks and andouille sent me over the edge. I actually started hollering with joy. A bartender asked me whether I was okay. I was humming like a lunatic.
Esquire: The craft-beer, proper-drink, good-food revolution arrived in this corner of North Jersey a few years ago with this simple but beautiful Art Deco restaurant.
Esquire: We got ribs and fries and a bologna sandwich and a whole Cornish hen practically lacquered in a shiny glaze of sauce. It was as real as real gets.
Esquire: best Italian food in U.S. is in NY? they haven’t been to the Hill in STL. Crown jewel of area is CHoP - menu w/no fuss but tons of flavor + they serve amazing toasted raviolis, STL classic
Esquire: Curate gives food scene shot of adrenaline w/paella and garlic shrimp and jamón ibérico. Best bean dish in U.S.: Asturian stew ("fabada") that’s luscious w/fat of housemade chorizo & morcilla
Esquire: Takeout counter on mauka (mountain) side of Diamond Head isn’t scenic spot but plate lunches spill over w/miso ginger salmon, kalbi beef & char siu pork, plus a heap of rice (the best- hapa)
Esquire: Nothing fancy. Not trendy. On the edge of Chicago. Bar attracts mostly cops and firefighters. Specialize in pub style pizza: cut into squares, soft but not thick
Esquire: This food truck just off DP beach is half the reason you'll want to go to the beach at all. Tomahawk bowl packed with fresh tuna is worth waiting in line for—and you'll have to
Esquire: Locals still gussy up for lunch buffet (including legendary fried chx). Make sure somebody orders Creole classic Shrimp Clemenceau—shrimp, crispy potatoes, ham, &mushrooms in garlic.
Esquire: I go back to DL every single time I’m in CHI. Usually for breakfast Mexican/Southern mashup. Do I want the pozole rojo w/carnitas, or get the burnt-ends hash w/2 fried eggs &Texas toast?
Esquire: '03 J.Beard award for classic American restu. Think: artichoke soup, petrale filet of sole, olallieberry pie. Bar is super fun, w/cheap, tasty martinis & typically packed w/colorful locals
Esquire: Remarkably good British/Irish pub food in a bright and open and airy set of rooms. At the heart of it is a soccer bar that draws somehow-not-annoying fans from all over.
Esquire: A frita (as interpreted by El Rey) is basically a burger on an airy Cuban bun with an avalanche of shoestring fries and a sweet paste of sautéed onions.
Esquire: My entire family has dined at Fork and loved every meal—from shrimp & grits at brunch to Champagne roasted chicken (takeaway) dinners during quarantine. Every experience at Fork is edifying.
Esquire: There's a reason for all those lawn chairs lined up outside the place. And yes, it's the brisket, but it's also so much more.
Esquire: Dont let the white truffles and caviar scare you off. It may look exclusive, but inside it’s a house party. Wine guru and manager is a captain of hospitality in the truest, most soulful sense
Esquire: A cozy tavern with surprisingly good food and a warm feeling in the older rooms. The whiskey bar up front is the snuggest place you can be on a winter night in Manhattan.
Esquire: Unassuming location w/unbelievable Jewish-American fare. You'll think "where am I?" & and leave wondering how you'll possibly follow up that meal. Latke waffle and lox will rock your world.
Esquire: There may be no finer example of Food As Theater / Food as Culture than this landmark known for its marathon, booze-saturated Friday lunch.
Esquire: One of the best towering stacks of Toscano salame, turkey, cheddar, provolone, shredded lettuce, red onion, light mayo, heavy on the mustard on a soft and chewy Milk Roll.
Esquire: Han Oak blends into the Cho family’s backyard, and a meal there has the casual vibe of a family reunion around a picnic table.
Esquire: A Cuban restaurant in Maine? No: A fantastic Cuban restaurant in Maine. Get the paella with local lobster, a Havana Martini, and call it a night.
Esquire: You don't visit HOU w/o eating Vietnamese food... always a wait but tables turn fast... satisfying and delicious meal w/gingery, herbaceous duck salad known as Goi Vit
Esquire: Amal Suleiman rolls stuffed grape leaves by hand (original vines brought to US from Jordan in '80; Suleiman makes the hummus and hot sauce and muhammara... seemingly random convenience shop
Esquire: Greasy spoon diner (in city full of them); true family-owned joint sits atop city's historic Mt Washington; Serving sizes will last you all day; dining experience makes you feel like family
Esquire: Ask owner Jazz Singsanong 2 choose 4 u, or point at random: jungle curry prk, spicy crabclaw morning glory, turmeric ctfish, mssels green crry. prepare mind &palate 4psychedelic flavor wallop
Esquire: No punches pulled by chef/owner and her remarkably spicy, funky, practically vibrating Thai dishes that are a snapshot of her mother’s recipes she learned while growing up in SouthernThailand
Esquire: Definitely the porterhouse or the mutton chop, always the creamed spinach and the hashbrowns for sides, and yes, you’ll be having a martini
Esquire: oyster omelet, &triangles of minced chicken in pandan leaves, &nasi lemak (fried ancho & coco rice make perfect pair), &hand-pulled coffee w/milk. A celebration of Nyonya cuisine of SEAsia
Esquire: The smell of gingerbread puerquitos, jammy niños, crusty and soft bolillios, churros y mas will bash you in the face as soon as you open the storefront door
Esquire: fermentation-mad merry pranksters make pickles and pastrami good enough to rival your favorite ancient Jewish deli
Esquire: Julia Child made it iconic; wait in line for hand-pressed tortillas &sizzling pork &melted cheese &potent salsas; Locals know: If special tamales or enchiladas on the chalkboard, get them
Esquire: start w/taco app then burrito - packed w/proportions of plump pinto beans, protein (try charred then chopped carne asada), green guac, crema, &melty cheese (no rice). Don't forget the salsa
Esquire: Because spice, hospitality, and wine aren’t luxuries—they’re essentials. Because this unassuming, unexpected jewel in a VA mall is one of the very best Indian restaurants in America
Esquire: I get just as much satisfaction consuming a platter of al pastor tacos from Leo’s as I do with any fancy spots.
Esquire: She picked up a beef rib that seemed to weigh more than her. Bit into the juicy meat &her eyes rolled back &emitted a squeak of unfiltered delight. Polished off whole rib &asked for another
Esquire: You want an omelet stuff with Dungeness crab—you’re in a fish market, after all—and maybe also a Hangtown Fry with eggs and bacon and fresh oysters all scrambled together
Esquire: Nowhere in Washington, D.C., is fine-dining done finer. Nowhere is it easier to feel thoroughly at home in a tuxedo. The stewards of slow luxuries must never die
Esquire: an outpost of modern exceptionalism in a historic yet overlooked district; local takes on trout rillettes, rabbit, and pork chops with carafes of Zweigelt. (Owner built furniture from a tree)
Esquire: Crispy, delicate soft-shelled shrimp. Browned cabbage smothered down in salt pork. Rustic seafood gumbo—okra, crab, and shrimp—that can’t be rushed.
Esquire: Generations of Newark-area Italian-Americans have celebrated here. It’s a banquet hall that actually does Italian food really well, because it has to. An institution.
Esquire: ...got the 1st seat at bar, and ordered oceanic delights: raw oysters, dayboat scallops, a lobster roll. All spot-on. Then the johnnycake arrived &everything else became a blur.
Esquire: The OG egg roll, as crisp and feathery as a deep-fried cloud, is like a history lesson that lasts for two minutes, max, because that’s how long it takes you to wolf it down
Esquire: Chicken and rice—that’s what you’re getting. A lunch here leaves you feeling the way you feel after you’ve had matzo ball soup in a dependable diner: nourished.
Esquire: t’s a sandwich shop. Homemade honey oat bread, homemade brownies, local cheddar—all of that.
Esquire: Routinely voted the best BBQ in town, and its ribs have been recognized as the best in US. I stop by every time I'm in town, and I send anyone passing through in this direction.
Esquire: Cheeseburger remains gold standard. Locals know that coolest move is to swing by for breakfast - hash browns are soft underneath a crust of gold. Toast is homemade.
Esquire: After a day skiing Sun Valley, the Pio’s burger will fill you back up. But make sure somebody gets the Idaho rainbow trout, so you can have a bite. This is a place you never want to leave.
Esquire: Very solid New York slice—the Margherita is more than solid. On Friday nights, the place is open court 4 a.m. as the East Village partiers come crashing in
Esquire: sells farm-fresh goodness at affordable prices; profits are devoted to feeding hungry school kids around the state.
Esquire: Steak au poivre is great, tequila Negroni even better, but for me it's about the circus. Fortune teller upstairs...
Esquire: In state not exactly famous for its flavor bombs, delivers Mex classics—mole negro, mole poblano, enmoladas, carnitas, fish tacos, enchiladas suizas—w/respect for tradition &attention 2detail
Esquire: You can’t really attempt to “drop in” for a quick snack of yardbird or shrimp & grits, because before long you’re caught up in conversations with neighboring tables...
Esquire: Best little roadside dinner w/pancakes ordered by size &come big as hubcaps. In a beautiful town in Berkshires &supplied by Gould Farm, a therapeutic community for people w/mental illnesses
Esquire: Roberta's gets cred as a revolutionary pizza joint with a knack for wood-firing pies.
Esquire: I love new-school takes on SF Chinatown from chefs like Brandon Jew. Restaurants like Wo’s are more important than ever, serving as connection to past, w/o dipping into schmaltz or nostalgia
Esquire: Always packed - w/locals. Inventive, ambitious cooking is polished but rooted in Hawaiian traditions, from poke to kalua pork.
Esquire: Posole verde is possibly most delicious; There are many paths to bliss, like: caipirinha –> chicharrones de calamares –> ahi seviche –> churrascos de Argntina –> George T. Stagg w/1cube
Esquire: They do this thing where the cheese on the cheeseburgers curls up into crispy corners. And homemade ice cream sundaes.
Esquire: colorful displays of cookies and cakes represent a bedrock community center, a village square for customers old and young, as well as a living link to the flavors &textures of the Middle East
Esquire: Tradition of Edomae-style sushi. Opened in 1994 and, in its modest way, it remains the West Coast peak of Japanese hospitality and fish/rice artistry.
Esquire: Cooks up the best breakfast in US. Southern ideas merge w/Mex ideas. Everyone talks about cinnamon rolls but I would board a plane for potatoes, which are crisp and fluffy at the same time.
Esquire: home of a beloved Reuben sandwich piled too high with what I swear is the best corned beef
Esquire: The wife used to run front-of-house at Per Se. The husband used to cook for big-time places in NYC. Then they bought a farmhouse in Vermont and turned it into a New England dining destination
Esquire: Out of all great old steakhouses across the US landscape, might be the strangest. Its signature dish is a shrimp cocktail overloaded w/horseradish (waiters will warn u, u won’t listen)
Esquire: Serves up creative, California-inspired dishes dim sum-style. I don’t think there’s any restaurant that captures the state’s madcap collision of culture and flavors quite like State Bird.
Esquire: Off-menu “crabsanthemum”— features nothing but plump pieces of sweet crab meat arranged in a beautiful floral pattern on a plate. Crab really needs no accompaniment, but ice-cold Anchor Steam
Esquire: Fresh, homemade pasta &natural wines in heart of Park Slope. Ur server probably made a special themselves, &you can tell because eyes light up when you order it &when sees ur empty plate.
Esquire: Order a beer and burger and keep your mouth shut. Listen. Look around. Everyone’s getting the same burger, as big as a flattened softball, salty juices seeping into the bun. Yinzers know.
Esquire: Cooking weaves together culinary insight from W. Africa &US South: pasta w/blue crab &ruby red shrimp, bbq'd mackerel w/cornbread dressing &collard stems, short ribs w/ground nuts &turnips
Esquire: Semi-fancy, waterfront place with good prices, good crab cakes, and a lot of people who probably just took the boat out for the day.
Esquire: Little seafood shack on land side of PCH. Order from blackboard menu—fish is offered grilled, Cajun style, or sautéed w/2sides (go for Cajun rice and slaw), grab a beer and picnic table
Esquire: When we arrived at the Shrimp Box, there was a two-hour wait for a table...
Esquire: Best red-sauce joint on the Jersey Shore. This East Coast alchemy of tomatoes and cheese, sausage and pasta and crust, oregano and olive oil and mouthfuls of bright Chianti
Esquire: Menu items like date shakes, carrot juice, sunflower sprout salad, and guacamole burritos might explain why no one in Laguna Beach seems to age.
Esquire: The anchor of the E. Village, coolest diner on Earth, open-around-the-clock Ukrainian hearth for those moments when one’s beaten soul cries out for stuffed cabbage &beef stroganoff &pierogi
Esquire: A meal can feel like a much-needed hug from an old family member. Velvety mac 'n cheese, shrimp rémoulade served atop fried green tomatoes, or the delicately fried gizzards
Esquire: Classics are next level: Siu mai plump w/shrimp &pork, paper-thin wrapping of har gau, &xiao long bao filled w/beautifully fragrant broth. Don't forget to pick up jar of house-made chili oil
