My brother didn’t “call me out” for this, but I wanted to respond with a list of my favorite dishes anyway. I tried to stay with the spirit of highlighting particular dishes, but ended up naming restaurants towards the end.

Thai Kitchen – Bridgewater, NJ

I spent a weird two years up in the Bridgewater / Somerset / Raritan / Somerville area of New Jersey. It was not my favorite career choice, and I spent a lot of that time unhappy with some of my choices. However, Thai Kitchen made it almost worth it. The Pad Thai there is to die for. Since then I’ve been on a quest to find comparable pad thai, and I have failed miserably. Why it’s so savory, I can’t put my finger on, but I’ve tried pad thai in many, many cities, and they’re all just… off. I’m looking for pad thai with noodles (obviously), green onions, chicken/shrimp/beef, bean curd, bean sprouts, fried egg, and a certain blend of spices. So far, no restaurant fits the bill. I continue my quest.

Cafe Matisse – Nassau, The Bahamas

The Disney Wonder cruise ship, of which I was a crew member for eight months, docked in Nassau twice a week: Monday and Friday. Almost every Friday a group of us would plan a meal at Cafe Matisse in Nassau. The restaurant is easy walking distance from the ship, but it’s sort of in an alley, so it never felt touristy. Typically I could never choose between Beef carpaccio or Insalata Caprese for an appetizer, so I’d order both. I didn’t have a usual entree. The Filet mignon in green pepper sauce and rosemary potatoes was ordered many times and never disappointed. I also remember having shrimp in a red curry sauce and jasmine rice and enjoying it, as well. It’s hard to go wrong here, though I strongly recommend making a reservation, or having your concierge do it for you like we did!

Sushi Kai – Toronto, Ontario

A tradition every time I visited Sherri in Toronto. This gem was only a block from her apartment building. Sushi Kai featured incredibly fresh sushi, it was never busy, you’d never know what kind of music they’d have playing (country? why not?), and it was cheap! Even for Toronto! I don’t remember exact pricing, but I seem to recall that Sherri and I could stuff ourselves, including a beer for Brian, and the check might come out to $30 Canadian, or roughly $21 US. It’s twice that here in Exton!

Should you happen to live a block or two from an excellent sushi place, don’t take it for granted!

The Kimberton Inn – Kimberton, PA

Restaurants around here aren’t like they are in Florida. There are a lot of older buildings here. People around here can get away with saying stuff like “Oh yeah, this building’s been here since 1790. Did we mention George Washington did Jäger shots at this here bar?” or whatever. In Florida, where I grew up, a building is really old if it’s from the 1920′s. The net result, there are a lot of decent restaurants in old inns, homes, and farmhouses ’round here. The Kimberton is one of them.

I first visited for a Christmas party for my company. Since then, Sherri and I have been a few times, either by ourselves or for company Christmas parties. There aren’t any memorable meals, save for some kick-ass coconut shrimp one time… but the food isn’t bad, either. Mostly this place is memorable because it’s where Sherri and I went shortly after I proposed to her.

Vittorios – Toronto, Ontario

Another Toronto favorite, this was also an easy stroll from Sherri’s apartment. An all-around great dining experience each time, featuring excellent food, service, and atmosphere. And wine. Let’s not forget the wine.

Honorable Mentions
Neither of these count as fine dining experiences, but I feel I must include them due to the amount of food I’ve eaten at each.
Checkers Drive-Thru – S. Dale Mabry, Tampa – you went to Checkers for the fries. There was some sort of breading attached that allowed more greasy goodness to soak in. The hamburgers weren’t bad, either.
The Ale House – Lake Buena Vista, FL – lunch or dinner, the Ale House has it all. Boneless chicken wings (“zingers”), meatloaf and mashed potatoes, a chicken nacho “appetizer”, cajun pasta. Sigh. I miss you, Ale House.