(10) World's Best Fish & Chips
Swizzle Inn
Pub & Restaurant
Bailey's Bay Bermuda
Bailey's Bay Bermuda
When I
traveled to Bermuda the first time to install Call
Accounting for the International
Airport, I didn't realize that the people of Bermuda take dressing up
seriously. Being a computer guy who
works remotely most of the time my wardrobe mainly consists of cargo shorts and
t-shirts. Because I was traveling I took
Levi's and button down shirts with me thinking that was all I would need while
I was there.
I was
wrong. Apparently if you want to get
served in a restaurant in Bermuda, especially in the evening, you have to be
dressed up. I found this out when I
tried to eat at the hotel restaurant where I was staying and they refused to
seat me because I was underdressed. (Clothing and Attire in Bermuda )
After
speaking to the locals and having them roll their eyes, shake their heads, and
say something disparaging about Americans I was told that I could eat at most
of the pubs and that the dress code did not usually apply. I ate at a number of establishments there,
but my favorite by far was the Swizzle Inn Pub & Restaurant. It is a small place, but the
food was some of the best I've ever had.
Fish and Chips were my favorite by far.
On the weekend they had a live Zydeco Band playing on the front
patio. If you are ever in Bermuda,
especially if you're in shorts and a T-shirt and want a great meal I highly
recommend the Swizzle Inn Pub and Restaurant. -- Bob Edwards - Draper, UT - 01/27/2014
(9) World's Best Hamburgers
Columbus, OH
My east
coast travels used to take me through Cincinnati quite often since it is a
Delta Hub. Whenever I needed to go
north to Cleveland or elsewhere I would usually fly into Cincinnati and rent a
car and drive north through Columbus.
One of my resellers based in Columbus took me to Max & Erma's in the German Village one trip.
If you've never been to the German Village it has cobblestone streets
and a real German flare. It isn't as
Bavarian as Leavenworth Washington, but you do understand that you are not in Kansas
anymore.
The
restaurant was set up so that all the booths and tables were cozy and intimate
which is what I like. The wait staff was
very friendly and easy to talk to. I
like it when they seem like they are not in a hurry. The burgers were to die for. You can view the MENU here and see
what I mean. At the time I didn't
realize that Max & Erma's was a chain restaurant. It didn't have that feel to it. If you're ever in Columbus, I highly
recommend it -- Bob Edwards - Draper, UT - 01/27/2014
(8) World's Best Student Bakery
Chief Academy
Cafe and Bakery
Moses Lake, WA
Moses Lake, WA
I have a
soft spot in my heart for the Chief Academy Café' in Moses Lake Washington
because I think the restaurant program they have put together is what High
School should be about -- learning life skills.
The café and bakery are staffed by students from Moses Lake High School and surrounding schools.. The students run the show from planning the
menu, purchasing the food, preparing the food, serving the food, etc. They are also responsible for running the
business end of things so that they can experience what running a business is
like. They are learning critical life
skills which they are able to use regardless of where life eventually takes
them. It isn't just a fast food job like
many high school students have. The
students are in charge and learn management skills, organization skills, and
learn to work together in a way that is unusual for High School.
The best
part of the whole deal is that the food is amazing. At first I expected fancy school lunch but I
was incorrect. The food they serve is
delicious and in some cases better than what you find in surrounding
restaurants. Students in the program
have traveled nationwide and won culinary awards, and a some of them have gone
on to nationally recognized restaurant and cooking schools. -- Bob Edwards- Draper, UT - 01/27/2014
(7) World's Best Ramen
Sapporo Train Station
Sapporo, Hokkaido Japan
Sapporo, Hokkaido Japan
I lived in
Sapporo when I was 20 for a while which is where I learned to speak
Japanese. My most favorite Japanese
dish was a Ramen -- of any kind. These are not the Instant Ramen's that you
may have eaten in college, these are big bowls of meat , vegetables and seaweed
in a soy base that makes them delightful.
One of my favorite Ramen shops is in the food court of the shopping mall
connected to the Sapporo Train
Station in
Sapporo Japan. I visited Sapporo a few
years ago and ate ramen again with friends and it was just as delicious as I
remember it. おかげでラーメン用の村上様。大変美味しかったです。我々はすぐに再び一緒にラーメンを食べる必要があります。
Bob Edwards - Draper, UT - 01/27/2014
(6) World's Best Borscht
I had
never eaten a red beet on purpose until I traveled to Yerevan Armenia in the
mid 90's to install Call Accounting Software for the Armenian Telephone Company. At the
time Armenia was still trying to recover from the break up of the Soviet Union,
and the big focus appeared to be getting services such as electricity,
water, and phones to be more
reliable. I was there as part of that
effort working with Armenian phone company.
That was when I tasted Borscht for the first time. We were working so we didn't have time to
prepare our own food so we ate at restaurants for lunch and the phone company
hired a woman cook an evening meal for us each night at our apartment. We ate many different variations of Borscht while we
were there, and they were all delicious.
-- Bob Edwards - Draper, UT - 01/27/2014
(5) World's Best Seafood
Long Beach, Washington
Long Beach
Washington is one of the few places on earth where the whole community is dog friendly. It's a little beach community north of
Astoria Oregon and a few miles north of where the Columbia River enters the
Pacific Ocean. A few years ago I went
there to do a software installation for a hotel around the 4th of July and they
invited me to bring my puppies. So my
wife and I drove to Long Beach Washington with our two dogs LuLu (Standard Schnauzer) and
Badger (Fox Terrier). To our surprise
not only did the hotel welcome pets, the town of Long Beach has a dog parade
every year on the 4th of July.
We went
down town to find a place for lunch and were surprised to see everyone walking
their dogs around -- hundreds of them.
In old western movies there are usually wooden posts in front of the
saloon where cowboys can tie up their horses.
In Long Beach Washington there are posts in front of the restaurants
where people can tie up their dogs while they go in and have lunch. It was the most amazing thing I've ever
seen. We had left our dogs at the hotel
because we didn't realize how friendly town was.
We wandered
around the restaurants (it's a very small town) and decided on the Castaway's Seafood Grille. We were not disappointed. The seafood was fresh, delicious, and there
were a lot of choices on the menu. Best
of all it wasn't all that expensive.
If you ever
have a chance to visit Long Beach
(Washington not California), especially over the 4th of July, I highly
recommend it. Badger says five
woofs… Bob Edwards - Draper, UT -
01/27/2014
(4) World's Best Cajun Jambalaya
Chevy Chase Pavilion, Washington DC
I have
eaten at Cheesecake Factory restaurants all over the country, but the Cajun Jambalaya at the Cheesecake Factory in the Chevy Chase
Pavilion is different. All Cheesecake
Factories are good, but this restaurant was outstanding. My Jambalaya was spicy but not too hot, and full of shrimp, meat, vegetables and
noodles in near perfect combinations.
I've tried it at other Cheesecake Factory restaurants, but it's never
the same. -- Bob Edwards -- Draper,
UT 01/27/2014
(3) World's Best BBQ
Saratoga Springs, UT
When it
comes to BBQ I'm pretty picky. I like my
BBQ Ribs a little overcooked, sweet and tangy, my BBQ Chicken moist and tender
so it falls apart when you pick it up, my Brisket tender and moist, my mashed
potatoes hot, creamy and buttery, and my potato salad a little crunchy. Sean's Smokehouse is my favorite BBQ place
because everything they serve us just how I like it. They don't try to get fancy. They prepare BBQ like BBQ is supposed to be
prepared. Fortunately they are only 20
miles away so I can eat there occasionally unlike many other restaurants on
this list. I have never been
disappointed! Bob Edwards - Draper, UT -
01/27/2014
(2) World's Best Cookie
Salt Lake City, UT
Banana Nut Cookie
I don't
dare guess what Mrs. Backer puts in her famous Banana Nut Cookies, but I find
them extremely addictive. They are a
little like banana bread only lighter in color and they have the texture of a
pumpkin cookie. Between the cookie, the
banana, the nuts and the delicious white tangy frosting eating one of these
cookies for me is pure heaven.
Bob Edwards - Draper, UT- 01/27/2014
(1) World's Best Steak
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
When you
think about a cowboy bar that John Wayne may have liked to visit, this is
it. The rustic Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
in Jackson Hole Wyoming takes you back 200 years to when the west was actually
wild. I haven't been to too many
restaurants with menu choices like:
- Bacon Wrapped Elk and Foie Gras Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers
- Italian Buffalo Ravioli
- Duck Toast
- Blackened Elk Lettuce Wraps
- Smoked Elk Lettuce Wraps
- Prarie Harvest Bison Rib Eye
- Prarie Harvest Elk Filet
- Buffalo Pot Roast
I sat at
the bar one time waiting for a table and the chef started bringing out little
plates of things to try. I'm guessing he
thought from my "girlish-figure" that I must love food. He was right. I think I had samples of almost everything
on the MENU and it was all delicious. I'm not always a fan of wild game, and
usually prefer beef steak and potatoes.
My first visit changed all that.
My only complaint was that after sampling much of the menu while sitting
at the bar I had a difficult time deciding on a single entrée. Next time you're in Jackson Hole, you should
try it. Bob Edwards - Draper, UT - 01/27/2014
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Bob Edwards is owner
of Comm One LLC which develops and sells Comm One Call Accounting Software for
tracking telephone calls for business.
You can view more stories on the Comm One Bog at http://commonesoftware.blogspot.com
or you can contact Bob directly at 801-523-9797 or bob@commone.com
