288648 Wed Mar 06 09:50:26 -0800 2002 104 33 Food Media and News 0 1558394 So what are your favorite fictional Bars and Restaurants? From Books, TV, Movies, etc. Or maybe it’s a fictional dinner you read about once, saw on the tube, one that caught your eye and imagination? Where are they, what are they like, and who invented them? J. Forester Wed Mar 06 09:50:26 -0800 2002 0 The Rogue 1 1558396 I'm rather like a broken record here, but my favorite remains a very real place, used frequently in the fiction of James Ellroy: the pacific dining car. I am also partial to a scene in the James Bond BOOK Moonraker, where Bond joins M at his club and they eat dinner. I especially like the part where Bond juices up his fancy champagne with speed so he'll be sharp for his spying later that night. Rob Wed Mar 06 10:04:44 -0800 2002 1558394 0 Vital Information 1 1558401 Mac's place - a cozy old fashioned steakhouse in D.C. with dark walnut paneling, featuring reliable,discreet European waiters who have been on staff about 35 years. Created by Ross Thomas/Oliver Bleek. Featured in several books, most notably "Twilight at Mac's place". Brain fade denies me the ability to provide the names of the two owners, but they are retired NSI types who get involved with nefarious characters and plots that are far from simple. Great reading. Wed Mar 06 10:25:40 -0800 2002 1558394 0 gourmound 1 1558402 Well, obviously there is the great "Big Night" stuff, by Stanley Tucci--a deathless classic. And the original food movie, "Someone is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe" still wears well if you can get anyone to show it. For fiction, though, I'd go with Rex Stout who, as the World knows, invented the sizeable gourmand Nero Wolff. Stout was no mean trencherman himself and Wolff was something of an alter-ego. Stout forced himself to write one NW book per year to support his appetite for food and travel. He always wrote it in February b/c it was the shortest month. Tossed it over the editor's transom and set sail for Europe. If you do not care for whodunits or have outgrown them, get "The Nero Wolff Coookbook" which give story snippets and then recipes for the goodies that were mentioned. Also has a nice section trumpeting American Food long before the recent crop of champions was even thought of ,, let alone born. Wed Mar 06 10:25:59 -0800 2002 1558394 0 Hazelhurst 2 1558416 I'll second Nero Wolfe's dinner table. Fritz had to be some cook if he was able to tame Wolfe's palate and temper. Another reason would be to share the company of Archie Goodwin, of whom I had an intense crush on. Wed Mar 06 13:10:03 -0800 2002 1558402 0 Can 3 1558424 I'll 3rd Nero Wolfe's table. But as for bars I'd prefer any of the ones in Raymond Chandler. For the dialogue and the highballs if nothing else. Wed Mar 06 13:31:39 -0800 2002 1558416 0 Lisa Lou 4 1558433 Re: the bars --yes indeed! And cold and dark and not-too-loud. Lots of shadows. "Double Indemnity" sort of stuff Wed Mar 06 14:15:03 -0800 2002 1558424 0 Hazelhurst 5 1558454 Definitely agree with the Nero Wolf books. My husband and I have decided we want the brownstone and the wonderful meals! Also, has anyone read the Monsieur Pamplemousse detective stories by Michael Bond? The character is a retired police officer who works for a food guide in France. Wonderful food descriptions combined with very funny story lines. Elizabeth Wed Mar 06 16:18:35 -0800 2002 1558433 0 ElizabethC 4 4533562 And I 4th it! Tue Mar 24 10:33:08 -0700 2009 1558424 253735 bayoucook 2 1558426 I'm with you on Nero Wolfe--just to spend a day in his dining room! Probably the best eats in NYC in the 30's. Wed Mar 06 13:55:25 -0800 2002 1558402 0 berkleybabe 1 1558404 I'll go with the diner in "Diner"...the great Barry Levenson film about growing up in Baltimore. It's a little bright in there, but still a wonderful place. Wed Mar 06 10:42:44 -0800 2002 1558394 0 Tom Whalen 2 1558425 I'll second the "Diner" diner. In fact I went to Fell's Point once and tried to find it but alas I failed - I was in a hurry to get to an Orioles game. What made those scenes was the mindless chatter of both the main characters and the waitresses/owner at the diner. Great movie! Wed Mar 06 13:40:59 -0800 2002 1558404 0 Amy B 1 1558407 As a kid sometimes my best meals were the ones I read about. My mother is a LOUSY cook. For some of my friends with the same problem theirs were ones they saw on TV or the silver screen. So here’s where I would love to be hanging out right now. A classic pub with a sci-fi bent. Maybe it's because I am a sci-fi fan or maybe that I am a psycho-therapist, but it's the combo that makes it fun. I think I’ll have to pull out one of my old dog eared copies and chill out with an imaginary frosty one right now. One of my favorite bars is Callahan’s Saloon from Spider Robinsons tales about this favorite place to hang your hat for those down on their luck, ex addicts, telepaths, aliens, talking dogs, murderers, and other interesting folks. It’s named after the proprietor, Mike Callahan and located out in the wilds of Syosset, Long Island on Route 25A. Not to far from my alma mater, Stony Brook. Or anyway it used to be before it got nuked when the patrons were busy saving the world from aliens or cockroaches or alien cockroaches or some such thing. But that’s not one of my stories but Spider’s. Anyway, drinks are all a half a buck, Yup just four bits. You pass a single to the bartender and get your own change from a cigar box full of quarters at the end of the bar, unless you exercise your option. It's based on an honor system and there are very few violators. The option is that if you choose you can deep six your glass into the fireplace while making a toast. The theory being that in declaring your pain it becomes less. "Shared pain is lessened, shared joy increased" It’s one of those places where if you have a problem they will help. Not that they’re nosy. As a matter of fact if you seem down in the dumps no one will butt in and ask you why, they will leave you in peace. Or else get 86’ed with a skull ache by the bouncer / piano player with a face like an old shoe. But if you decide to spill the beans about your woes this group of folks will listen and help as they can. Sometimes with magical results. The drink of choice besides good beer such as Anchor Steam or Rekhards Red, is Irish Coffee. Brewed with the highest class beans of your choice and an appropriate Irish whiskey to suit. Have you ever had an Irish Coffee drunk? Caffeine and alcohol, what a mixture. It’s psychedelic in nature. A wide awake buzz like sipping rocket fuel. Of course we have all heard TANSTAAFL There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Well at Callahan's there is. So you can moderate your alcohol intake with a bite to eat every now and then. There are events most nights such as pun contests, live folk music, tall tales nights, riddle or smoke blowing contests and such. We've all seen people blow smoke rings but have you ever seen a smoke knight fighting a smoke dragon? These folks like to keep entertained and occasionally exercise the gray matter between the ears. Or if you’re in the mood you can throw some darts or six. It's my kind of place where a little rumgallalah or ballyhoo isn't out of place and you never know who might drop by. It could be an apologetic Hitler, two men with one brain, your mirror self, or a nageneen (an leprechaun related type who has a massive thirst and can put most bars out of business. they have a magical attraction for booze.) Well however you look at it... it's all fun. so let's go and toss back a few, make some toasts, and tell a few tall tales... Jonathan Wed Mar 06 11:11:31 -0800 2002 1558394 0 The Rogue 2 1558420 I agree with you! Callahan's Cross-Time Saloon sounds like the place to be!! Great tales surrounding this place. BTW...Spider is supposed to be releasing a new book soon. Wed Mar 06 13:22:57 -0800 2002 1558407 0 DeeS. 2 1558503 I have always found the Callahan's stories--both the concept and execution--to be hopelessly mawkish and overly sentimental. It's a 14 year old boy's dream of a bar. Thu Mar 07 07:29:12 -0800 2002 1558407 0 CliffA 3 1558516 Cliff A- I think you missed the whole point of this post. It is to discuss YOUR own personal, favorite, fictional bar or restaurant. Out of well over 30 posts so far, yours is the only one that condemns and attacks anothers personal choice in a FICTIONAL bar. I find that there are a few different types of posters on this site. There are those who request information and in turn those who gladly respond with an abundance of well thought out and researched material, and sadly those who make a short and useless comment that helps no one. The folks who wish to joyfully share their thoughts and opinions on something or somewhere they have tried. And in response those who come back with questions or comments that are useful in nature to explore the issues, or woefully those who must bash others, instead of making constructive remarks. Just like food, books are personal things. I find some of the other posters thoughts and feelings to be quite different from my own. That is the fun of this discussion board, to see a glimpse into how others think, and more importantly, feel. What grabs some folks and transports them to a different place? One that for THEM is a better place. For me it is an opportunity to look at one of the reasons us chowhounds got this way. It's not just the food for many of us, the technical information. It's the adventure, romance, excitement, the chase. The thought of trying something new. The quest for experiences. Because when one looks at it, what are we? Just a bundle of experiences tied together. In life, we do not always get the chance to do all we wish. So part of the fun is the possibility of being a armchair eater or traveler. To develop and use ones imagination. To not necessarily have to travel to L.A. or Seoul to try some new restaurant or dish, but instead to just read a critique. To hear others comments and descriptions. To put yourself in the place of that food writer and imagine the meal they had, the restaurant they visited, the ambiance or lack thereof. The fictional theme takes that one step further. To have a place, that for even one person, is where they would like to go... to escape reality for awhile... to relax and enjoy some writers fantasy. To become a part of something different. Why not instead, just post what your favorite may be? Let us see who and what you are. So far all you have shown us is that you can be negative and condemning. Is that the sum of your essence? Or is there more to you? Jonathan Forester Ps. As for your comments on Spider Robinson’s books. "I have always found the Callahan's stories--both the concept and execution--to be hopelessly mawkish and overly sentimental. It's a 14 year old boy's dream of a bar."- CliffA. Well Cliff A. that’s your opinion. You have a right to it. I will challenge it since you threw out the glove. In my opinion, I find that his stories challenge me mentally. Not many writers do, I have read over 20k books so far and feel that I know of what I speak. Robinson’s inventive puns and complex riddles both amuse me, as well as force me to think. His references to books, music, and places are written so expressively that I have to track them down and see if I agree. Or don’t, as is my option. Both have happened. His themes of people caring for each other, helping one another, having love for each other strike a chord with me. Maybe, as I said in my original post, it is because among other things, I am a therapist. I have done extensive work with troubled youth, young adults, and adults. I have also worked with police psychologists and forensic specialists. I have seen the good and the bad in life. More so than many others, I know how messed up our society is. I relish the thought of a bar where people don’t go to get drunk and run away. A place instead to go for companionship, conversation, and fun. To help each other over the tough times and to be better people and grow. Emotionally, mentally, as a human being. A place that if you go there often enough you find that you don’t have to drink to dull your problems and make you forget. It’s a place that isn’t for escape but for growth. For love. Yes, that is sentimental, and I am proud of it. I am humbled to be allowed, for the short while I am reading, to gain entrance to a place as special as Callahan’s. Whenever possible I try to help make places like Callahan’s come to life. As for Spider’s writing, no matter what he writes about you are challenged and intrigued. You want to take part in it and experience the events, people, places, things for yourself. Take coffee for instance. I personally only drink it on rare occasions. I am sensitive to flavors and think most coffee tastes like used food. I very much enjoy and appreciate a good cup of coffee, but loath a mediocre one. When I read something so engagingly descriptive about the joys of coffee, I want to run out and have some, gallons if possible. Cups and cups of GREAT coffee that will cure my ills, make me smarter, better. Leave me feeling all is well with the world. That takes skill. Skill to have won awards all over the world. To have stories used successfully with troubled, adjucated, and high risk young adults to teach them social skills and a different way to look at life. To have books keep getting reprinted over and over again in dozens of languages. Thu Mar 07 11:07:12 -0800 2002 1558503 0 The Rogue 4 1558552 You've read 20 THOUSAND books? No wonder you're wound so tight. You need to get out more. Anyway, my favorite fictional tavern is Smade's Tavern from the "Demon Princes" series by Jack Vance. Thu Mar 07 18:49:54 -0800 2002 1558516 0 CliffA 5 1558554 I think you owe more of an apology. And, grabbing onto a tiny typo is pathetic and supercilious. Thu Mar 07 20:23:13 -0800 2002 1558552 0 PicayunePrunes 6 1558581 Actually it is the one thing that Cliff A got right... weird huh... maybe he is just able to nit pick and picayune 'cause he just don't get it... 20k not a typo... under exag more like it. Jonathan Fri Mar 08 02:22:45 -0800 2002 1558554 0 The Rogue 7 1558645 Are you now saying that (a) you have indeed read some twenty thousand books and that (b) this qualifies your opinion in some way? IF you've been reading for 40 years this would still mean more than a book a day, every single day. I either hate to know what kinds of books these are, or what kind of cursory (speed) read you are giving them. Just trying to follow what you're saying ... Fri Mar 08 14:15:42 -0800 2002 1558581 0 PicayunePrunes 2 1558546 Dang! You beat me to it! Though it might be considered a bit of a rip off, I always thought that Larry Niven's Draco Tavern would be a fun place to get intoxicated. Link: http://www.larryniven.org/stories/Smut_Talk.htm Thu Mar 07 17:50:22 -0800 2002 1558407 0 z 3 1558550 Z whoever you be... ya'll are a critter after my own heart... Draco's is a fine place to sip a few... Thu Mar 07 18:14:41 -0800 2002 1558546 0 The Rogue 2 4533340 Another Callahan's Cross-Time Saloon fan here. Though I vastly prefer Spider's short stories to his novels. The shorts are very nicely tightly plotted while his novels tend to go off on overly rambling info-dumps. Other great SF places I'd like to go: Cowboy Feng's Space Bar anf Grill (Stephen Burst) and I'd spring for one dinner at Douglas Adam's Restaurant at the End of the Universe just for the dinner show, even though the idea of the talking dish of the day squicks me out. Tue Mar 24 09:35:32 -0700 2009 1558407 11781 beachmouse 2 4534318 Another vote here for Callahan's! Fine pub culture. Tue Mar 24 13:42:52 -0700 2009 1558407 15879 Joan Kureczka 2 4534533 I thought of Callahan's right away. I'd make sure I had singles because well, you know Mike won't make change for a five, ten or twenty. Also I'd like to have a cocktail at the OJ and listen to the nonsense from the regulars. Is there furniture in heaven? What do the angels sit on? Will exercise kill you? I'd quietly enjoy my beer while waiting to see if a couple guys show up and ask for a bottle of bourbon or maybe a fellow who orders a beer with salt. Then I'd wonder what sort of criminal activity was going on and I'd skedaddle because something always goes wrong around those guys. Tue Mar 24 14:36:08 -0700 2009 1558407 10516 MplsM ary 1 1558418 I know of at least one other Chowhound who would be a regular at The Rickshaw as portrayed in Billy Wilder's The Apartment. It ranks high in my fantasy canon, and if there was any justice, or decent cocktail sensibility in this world, one would be able to sip umbrella drinks in 60s style Asian splendor on any given night of the week in NYC, but such is far from the case - unless I'm missing somewhere. The only thing that comes close if if I happen to to make close visits to The Peppermill Lounge/Lee's Hawaiian Islander and Marion's Continental, stick my head into Ruby Foo's (though not actually consume anything 'cause well, ew!), spin around three time and make myself a Mai Tai. If anyone knows a less geographically challenging method of recreating this joint, I'm all ears. Was also always intrigued by Damon Runyon's tough guy/swell joint "Mindy's". Based on anyplace actual? "One evening comes along about seven o'clock I am sitting in Mindy's restuarant putting on the gefilte fish which is a dish I am very fond of..." xxxKat Wed Mar 06 13:19:00 -0800 2002 1558394 0 Kat Kinsman 2 1558451 I have no authority for this, but I believe Runyon's "Mindy's" is based -- and not very loosely -- on the original Lindy's Restaurant in the Times Square area. Wed Mar 06 15:59:26 -0800 2002 1558418 0 Deven Black 2 1558457 I hope this comes across in the spirit it's intended... Without knowing you in the least, I have to say that Kat Kinsman is the about the best name for a habitue at a favorite fictional bar or resturant. Rob Wed Mar 06 16:45:09 -0800 2002 1558418 0 Vital Information 3 1558458 Half the time, I'm pretty sure I am fictional. I'd love to eat at some of the restaurants and bars that pop up in my dreams - ones with limitless steak tartare, gougeres, and Mai Tais there but for the asking. Sigh. I went to Churrascuria Plataforma last week and it sure as hell seemed like something I imagined in a fever dream - the ceaseless parade of skewered meats, feijoada and Caipirinhas. Same thing with the fontina & truffle fondue at Artisanal. That couldn't have been real. Again with the sighing. And my name is entirely non-fictional though people often assume the contrary. Kat Wed Mar 06 17:07:56 -0800 2002 1558457 0 Kat Kinsman 1 1558427 I'm not sure I'd want to go there, but my favorite bar sign (and commentary) is in a seedy Tijuana bar, The Golden Horseshoe, in the story of that name by Dashiell Hammett. The Continental Op reads it during a lull in the action: " 'Only Genuine Pre-War American and British Whiskeys Served Here.' I was trying to count how many lies could be found in those nine words, and had reached four, with promise of more..." I just love it! Barwise, I would love to go anywhere Nick and Nora do in Hammett's "The Thin Man". Wed Mar 06 13:56:18 -0800 2002 1558394 0 CatherineC in NYC 1 1558431 The meals at Delmonico's in The Alienist whet my appetite. Wed Mar 06 14:08:54 -0800 2002 1558394 0 mc michael 2 1558447 Thanks, Michael. I could remember The Alienist, but Delmonico's had fled my memory. Pat Wed Mar 06 15:20:06 -0800 2002 1558431 0 Pat Hammond 1 1558441 I really like Rosie's, the bar/restaurant hangout of Kinsey Millhone, the heronie of Sue Grafton's alphabetic-novel series. Wed Mar 06 14:52:11 -0800 2002 1558394 0 P 2 1558444 Sue Grafton's father, C.W. Grafton wrote about driving to upstate New York all day, parking his 1940 business coupe and ordering a Steak, Baked Potato W/Sour Cream, glass of Milk, Apple Pie and a pitcher of coffee. The book was 'The Cat Began to Gnaw the Rope". Wed Mar 06 15:07:44 -0800 2002 1558441 0 gourmound 1 1558442 Definitely, Rosie's in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Malhone series. It's definitely a Chowhound kind of place. Wed Mar 06 14:55:23 -0800 2002 1558394 0 Lori D 2 1558450 That's the only place I would let the owner belittle me into eating what she thinks *I* should eat. Wed Mar 06 15:53:52 -0800 2002 1558442 0 Can 3 1558471 Oh, I don't know, I'd love walking in and having the chef tell me what i should have for dinner...Kind of like a down to earth omakase! Wed Mar 06 19:03:15 -0800 2002 1558450 0 galleygirl 4 1558472 Oh sure, I don't mind that...but are these chefs as abusive and intimidating as Rosie? Wed Mar 06 19:08:52 -0800 2002 1558471 0 Can 5 1558475 Oh, I don't know, I think Rosie's just bossy. After all, Kinsey doesn't suffer fools gladly, and she loves Rosie as much (or more) than she complains about her. Wed Mar 06 19:32:21 -0800 2002 1558472 0 Caitlin McGrath 6 1558476 Good point..And I forgot, she has the constant supply of freshly baked goods from her handsome, and still spry, octogenarian neighbor ;) Wed Mar 06 19:51:42 -0800 2002 1558475 0 galleygirl 7 1558477 Now, Henry's fictional kitchen is a place I wouldn't mind hanging out, myself. Wed Mar 06 20:03:37 -0800 2002 1558476 0 Caitlin McGrath 8 1558479 Hmmm, kindah like Shelby Foote with a bread oven..... Wed Mar 06 20:13:29 -0800 2002 1558477 0 galleygirl 2 1558466 Does anyone know if it is modelled after a real bar in Santa Barbara (as so many of the other places in her books are)? Wed Mar 06 18:41:38 -0800 2002 1558442 0 Ruth Lafler 2 1558597 If I may add a second mystery series - Janet Evanovich's books contain evocative prose about, most notably, Hungarian cusine (the cooking of the main character's mother) and pizza. Fri Mar 08 10:39:25 -0800 2002 1558442 0 Lori D 3 4534311 And how about Chicago's The Golden Glow from the VI Warshawski books. Tue Mar 24 13:41:11 -0700 2009 1558597 15879 Joan Kureczka 1 1558456 Not such chowhound answer, but the first place that came to my mind upon reading the question was Rick's Cafe Americain in "Casablanca" -- for the atmosphere, if nothing else. Wed Mar 06 16:42:01 -0800 2002 1558394 0 Gil Bauer 1 1558467 The Korova Milk Bar in Clockwork Orange. I always get milk plus - milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom . This sharpens you up. Wed Mar 06 18:50:36 -0800 2002 1558394 0 PicayunePrunes 2 4535168 Ultra Moloka! Horror show my droogies. Almost Russian. Tue Mar 24 18:00:06 -0700 2009 1558467 93538 Passadumkeg 1 1558468 I was caught by the Whistle Stop Cafe in Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe when Idgie saw that alcoholic Smokey Lonesome had the shakes so bad he could not get the soup spoon to his mouth. She quietly took him outside and told him a sweet story while giving him some whiskey. When her story was over, Smokey was better, no word was spoken about the whiskey and they went back into the restaurant where he was able to finish his dinner. One of the kindest moments I remember from the big screen. Wed Mar 06 18:51:56 -0800 2002 1558394 0 susan blair 1 1558470 Aah, that would have to be the scene, over a luncheon in the garden in "Women In Love", where Alan Bates demonstrates how to eat a fresh fig... Wed Mar 06 19:01:44 -0800 2002 1558394 0 galleygirl 1 1558489 Douglas Adams' Restaurant at the End of the Universe (the mere fact that there IS a RESTAURANT at the end of the universe is a completely charming thought for me!) Wed Mar 06 22:49:06 -0800 2002 1558394 0 SciFiFreak 2 4537729 Yes, but would you want to interview the cow before you ate a steak? Wed Mar 25 13:26:02 -0700 2009 1558489 116495 Avalondaughter 1 1558499 Adam's Ribs... The only detail I can offer is that it is in Chicago. M.A.S.H. die hards will remember Adam's from the episode where Hawkeye Pierce goes to great lengths to get his BBQ fix during the Korean War. Chow!!! Thu Mar 07 03:05:12 -0800 2002 1558394 0 Brandon Nelson 2 1558530 Yeah but he forgot the coleslaw... Thu Mar 07 15:59:43 -0800 2002 1558499 0 gourmound 2 1558547 Praise the Lord and pass the sauce!! Thu Mar 07 17:51:50 -0800 2002 1558499 0 Jill-O 2 4534806 I remember that episode...I wouldn't mind having a drink at the Swamp either.... Tue Mar 24 15:56:53 -0700 2009 1558499 12873 OCAnn 1 1558502 Ok, OK I guess I haven't had a huge literary career...or maybe two kids just drove the "read" ones out of my head, but the bar in "Star Wars" really changed my opinion of some of the barflies in my home town. I also think 10 Forward on Star Trek Next Generation is quite wonderful when Data offers a reconstituted commander Scott (aka Scotty) a real drink instead of the current fav synthahol laced scotch(may it never arise). Or how about the pub in Hard Days Night where an awol Ringo tries to choke down the"fresh this morning" sandwich. And if you really go back ther is the "very expensive" French resturant in Top Hat with Fred Astair where the floor show is actually dollies on young artists fingers. Fred has to dance because they can't pay the bill, and Edward Everett Horton is afraid the sauces are rather hard to clean off the dishes they will have to do! Jill Thu Mar 07 06:11:11 -0800 2002 1558394 0 jill 1 1558524 How about "The Brick" in Cicely, AK (Northern Exposure)? When Adam was working as the chef, there was no finer place to eat anywhere. Thu Mar 07 14:36:06 -0800 2002 1558394 0 Tom Whalen 2 1558526 The Brick sounds like a good place to chow down. Adam may be a psychopathic and paranoid whacko, but he's a chowhoundin' one. Thu Mar 07 15:06:08 -0800 2002 1558524 0 The Rogue 3 1558548 "Yeah, I was there. I was there when the Tet offensive was launched, I was there when Saigon fell, and I was there reducing a cream sauce with a beaucoup lovely from Pleiku when Charlie came out of nowhere and ambushed her kitchen. She taught me everything I know about poultry. And I told you I didn't want to talk about it!" Wouldn't it be great if we could get "A Cook's Tour" with Adam instead of that poseur Anthony Bordain? Thu Mar 07 18:05:27 -0800 2002 1558526 0 z 4 1558563 "Why do we cook? Because we're HUNGRY. And when I'm hungry, what do I want? Something that YOU made? Noooooooo, I want something GOOD -- something that ***I*** made!" Thu Mar 07 22:54:07 -0800 2002 1558548 0 C. Fox 1 1558532 Mystic Pizza!!!!!From the movie of the same name,an underrated gem "A little slice of heaven"....Who could forget the tightly held secret ingredients in the sauce, and the celebration when they get a great review from the snooty restaurant critic who doesn't even finish his pie... Thu Mar 07 16:04:50 -0800 2002 1558394 0 galleygirl 2 1558540 You betcha ! I'll take a slice of the house pie, The Mystic Pie. Then pour me a frosty one and I'm all set. Jonathan Thu Mar 07 17:27:28 -0800 2002 1558532 0 The Rogue 2 4538349 There's a real Mystic Pizza in Mystic Ct. Apparently the movie was shot nearby and not in the actually location so I guess you could say the movie version is fictional. The pizza at Mystic Pizza tends to get poor reviews but I think people have an attitude towards it because of the movie. I went there a few years ago and thought it was one of the top 10 pizzas of my life. As much as I'd love to hang with Annabeth Gish at Mystic Pizza, sign me up for a bar stool at Paddy's (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Wed Mar 25 16:10:53 -0700 2009 1558532 163246 tofuburrito 1 1558537 for the young at heart or the literary in-tune: HARRY POTTER!!! who doesn't want to gobble some crumpets and tea in The Leaky Cauldron? and what about the candy store in Hogsmeade... bertie bott's every flavor beans, chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, and on and on.. PLUS the food that appears in the Great Hall!!! they feast like kings and queens! for those that haven't read the books or are embarrassed to, DON'T BE! they are written amazingly and they are worth every page and more. AND... you have until june or july to read all four before the fifth come out!! also... it's not fictional but on the naked chef i love all his friendly cheese shops and butchers/fishmongers. jamie oliver also seems to always be in a quaint little coffee shop at the beginning of the show too... Thu Mar 07 17:07:18 -0800 2002 1558394 0 katydid 2 1558541 Let's grab our broomstciks and go... I just picked up a new Cirro-Stratus 2002 and had custom pipes and nitrous injection installed, a fancy flame paint job, and I'm ready to rip... so let's go get some grub. JMF Thu Mar 07 17:29:48 -0800 2002 1558537 0 The Rogue 3 1558595 that's the spirit! Fri Mar 08 10:17:13 -0800 2002 1558541 0 katydid 2 1558544 How could I forget? I'm always curious about Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, granted that I don't get stuck with vomit- or booger-flavored ones. Thu Mar 07 17:42:25 -0800 2002 1558537 0 Can 3 1558596 Jelly Bellies does make Bertie Botts every flavor beans -- I think its mostly an assortment of their regular flavors with a few additions -- black pepper, grass, and yes, booger. Link: http://www.jellybelly.com/TopNav/Search.asp?query=bertie+botts&which=shop Fri Mar 08 10:38:21 -0800 2002 1558544 0 foodnut 4 4532657 Callahan's-sound like a great place to unwind Milliway's (the resturuant at the end of the unvierse)-the ultimatey dinner show. While I'm at why not go to the other edn and have one at the Big Bang Burger bar Cafe Diem (from the TV show "Eureka", who wouldnt like eating somewhere where the chef can prepare practically anything you want perfectly. The Mended drum (for terry prachett's discworld) if I was feeling suicidally rowdy.) That's about all I can think of without going into places that really wouln't count (mosty becuse there in stories I wrote, and so, of course fit my personaly tates exactly) Tue Mar 24 06:07:20 -0700 2009 1558596 24492 jumpingmonk 1 4533286 I've always been enamored with Mostly Martha, and would have loved to have been in the dining room where she rips into the customer who complained about the overcooked foie gras -- especially when she pulls the tablecloth away! Tue Mar 24 09:16:00 -0700 2009 1558394 137960 link_930 1 4533485 Moe's Tavern Tue Mar 24 10:11:12 -0700 2009 1558394 202497 MattInNJ 2 4552416 When Aerosmith is playing--see you there! Mon Mar 30 16:39:38 -0700 2009 4533485 249664 kattyeyes 1 4533569 That recurring restaurant in Maeve Binchy books. Tue Mar 24 10:35:48 -0700 2009 1558394 253735 bayoucook 1 4533786 Baghdad Cafe'? Alice's Restaurant? Tue Mar 24 11:30:06 -0700 2009 1558394 124191 comestible 1 4533877 Fiction or non, put me down for Cheers. Tue Mar 24 11:51:26 -0700 2009 1558394 12873 OCAnn 2 4533936 Seconded. Tue Mar 24 12:05:33 -0700 2009 4533877 235489 ktb615 1 4533912 Hands down, Rick's Cafe Americain from the movie Casablanca. And for many years, there was a great Jazz room in Chicago called the same. 8-) Tue Mar 24 12:00:03 -0700 2009 1558394 52499 ChefJune 2 4534614 I immediately thought of Rick's, my favorite as well, but for an even seedier place, how about The Blue Parrot, run by Signor Ferrari, played by the great Sydney Greenstreet. Tue Mar 24 14:57:10 -0700 2009 4533912 198541 James Cristinian 1 4534427 Does anyone else remember the short-lived TV series 'Franks' Place' starring Tim Reid? The food at Frank's looked incredible! Tue Mar 24 14:09:45 -0700 2009 1558394 10258 Fydeaux 2 4537515 I've never seen the show but I seem to recall reading, in an article about (or an interview with) Chef Austin Leslie years ago in Gourmet magazine, that the restaurant in 'Frank's Place' was based on his restaurant (something along those lines). Wed Mar 25 12:30:26 -0700 2009 4534427 259475 blackoak 3 4537713 You are correct and I was going to put Frank's Place down as my choice. The restaurant it was based on was Chez Helene. Wed Mar 25 13:22:37 -0700 2009 4537515 154901 roro1831 2 4538439 I was working at CBS at the time, and we were all completely in love with Frank's Place. It was a great sorrow that this series didn't make it. One of the best pilots EVER! Wed Mar 25 16:43:54 -0700 2009 4534427 34558 roxlet 3 4539952 One of those rare shows, like "Sports Night", that was just too good to last. I dont suppose you have any insight on whether "Frank's Place" will be released on DVD.... Thu Mar 26 07:51:14 -0700 2009 4538439 10258 Fydeaux 1 4534771 Another one would be Al's Dinner (Happy Days), Mr Dafazio's pizza joint (Lav & Shir), The Regal Beagle or Jack's Bistro (last two of 3s Company). Tue Mar 24 15:46:00 -0700 2009 1558394 12873 OCAnn 1 4534877 Agree w/all the posters who want to sit at Nero Wolfe's table and I would add the only resto he ever visits, owned by his best friend Markos ( I think.) Also any of the Sicillian restos visited by Inspector Maltobano and the Bangkok joints by Thai cop S. Jitpleecheep. Tho' all of the resto's frequented in Venice by Commissario Brunetti sound delicious, I'd still rather eat with his family at their own table. Tue Mar 24 16:16:42 -0700 2009 1558394 133350 annabana 1 4535704 The Quill and Tassel. Tue Mar 24 21:39:23 -0700 2009 1558394 10784 Scrapironchef 1 4535737 The Club New Yorker from "The Gang's All Here." Not for the food, but for the fantasy. Tue Mar 24 22:05:22 -0700 2009 1558394 34704 Luwak 1 4535749 Zorba the Greek, book and movie. Starts in a cafe in Pireus and goe on to Madam Hortense's ramshackle hotel and Zorba's simple hut. Some of the favorite quotations of my life. From memory so forgive errors. I read it every five years. "Am I married? Wife, children, the whole catastrophe!" "There is but one sin that God will not forgive. If a woman asks a man to her bed and he does not go." "How simple a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. All that is required to feel that here and now is happiness is a simple heart." "Teach me to dance!" Tue Mar 24 22:15:12 -0700 2009 1558394 93538 Passadumkeg 2 4535948 In the catastrophe quotation I forgot the important word "house". Wed Mar 25 03:30:38 -0700 2009 4535749 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4535751 The mess hall from Catch 22. Chocolate covered cotton. Tue Mar 24 22:16:08 -0700 2009 1558394 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4535992 "Cheers"......"Rick's Cafe" (play it again Sam) Wed Mar 25 04:35:59 -0700 2009 1558394 151974 HotMelly 1 4536307 Cast me in with the "mawkish 14-year-old set" because I thought of Callahan's right away. (I know that the comment is 7 years old.) On the same vein, I'd probably love a midnight kitchen raid with Lazarus Long, to "top your tanks up." The Leaky Cauldron never seemed like it was the place for good food. I'd rather go into Hogsmeade to sample Madame Rosmerta's fine fare at the Three Broomsticks. I'd also like to get a sugarfix at the bakery in Robin McKinley's "Sunshine" even though I don't have much of a sweet tooth. I find much of the description of restaurants in fiction, particularly in mysteries, to be overwrought and therefore not as appealing or believable. One exception was a decription of a clambake in a Trixie Belden mystery I came across as a kid. It took me 25 years to finally get to one and satisfy that itch. Wed Mar 25 07:00:38 -0700 2009 1558394 59951 thinks too much 1 4537630 I've always loved the idea of the diner from 'Atlas Shrugged' where Dagny, on her search to figure out who is John Galt, finds the world's greatest living philosopher cooking at an isolated diner in Wyoming. Before she realizes who he is, she is almost moved to tears by his deft and elegant handling of the simple food he prepares. At least that's how I remember it. Wed Mar 25 12:57:34 -0700 2009 1558394 56183 soypower 1 4537757 I always wanted to go to Mel’s Diner and talk old movies with Vera, or go to a party catered by the Stanislavski Catering Co. from Hannah and Her Sisters (or at least be invited to that lavish Thanksgiving table!) If only I could go to Seinfeld’s diner and hang out with George and Elaine... Wed Mar 25 13:33:37 -0700 2009 1558394 233294 cuccubear 2 4538177 Joe's Diner for pie at the 2007 indie film Waitress. Wed Mar 25 15:20:41 -0700 2009 4537757 93538 Passadumkeg 3 4539684 That brings to mind the diner in Twin Peaks - cherry pie and hot black coffee sound really good about now. Thu Mar 26 06:26:10 -0700 2009 4538177 233294 cuccubear 4 4539859 The diner in the pilot was real but in the rest of the series it was a set. I've been to the one in the pilot several times, it's in North Bend Washington. It burned down at some point and the look changed somewhat when it was rebuilt but there is a lot of Twin Peaks memorabilia. Thu Mar 26 07:22:57 -0700 2009 4539684 163246 tofuburrito 5 4539994 Another vote for Cheers. And the Italian restaurant in "Moonstruck." Thu Mar 26 08:02:19 -0700 2009 4539859 11615 kagoo 2 4552429 Right...and order the BIG SALAD...you know, it's like A SALAD, but BIGGER? :) Mon Mar 30 16:43:27 -0700 2009 4537757 249664 kattyeyes 1 4541291 How about Holling's The Brick on Northern Exposure. It would be fun watching O'Connell(Maggie) punch Fleischman (Joel) in the nose and break it. Thu Mar 26 13:21:38 -0700 2009 1558394 198541 James Cristinian 2 4542283 The Norther exposure thing reminded me of another one that migh be fun for the atmosphere, the Dead Dog Cafe In Blossom, Alberta (If you're unfamilar with this one as anyone Canadian you know who listened to CBC back in the 80's or 90's) Thu Mar 26 18:44:48 -0700 2009 4541291 24492 jumpingmonk 3 4542287 Garrison Keillor's Side Track Cafe. Thu Mar 26 18:46:14 -0700 2009 4542283 93538 Passadumkeg 4 4552507 Frasier was a long-lived successful series, but the brothers' restaurant Les Freres Heureuses (The Happy Brothers) was an unmitigated fiasco that lasted all of one night! I'm suprised it hasn't been mentioned yet. Mon Mar 30 17:11:52 -0700 2009 4542287 13853 Leonardo 1 4553216 There are some really cool literary suggestions on this thread that make me want to get these books and read them. Especially the Nero Wolfe stuff, but all of it sounds good. I'm impressed by all these suggestions. I went through a Raymond Chandler phase and am pretty sure I read every one of his novels. The thing I thought of is a bit less literary. In the movie Pulp Fiction, Vincent Vega takes Mia Wallace out on a date, and she suggests a place called Jackrabbit Slim's. Turns out to be a burger joint where they have a twist competition. One of my favorite scenes, beautifully shot and the dancing is great. I love a fading 70's cocktail lounge, and love the one in Jackie Brown called the Cockatoo Inn. I've mentioned that movie on this site before. Great topic for a thread. Mon Mar 30 21:58:45 -0700 2009 1558394 133045 Budget Palate