I personally can't say enough about the Garden Court Sunday brunch at the Palace Hotel in SF. It's where I take people for their birthdays (as my gift to them). Amazing food stations, everything done to absolute perfection, beautiful building, wonderful jazz, flowing champagne... everything dining is supposed to be. Sit back and let it flow....

Your hidden gem?

The Black Forest Inn, Stanhope, NJ. Five star German restaurant practically in my back yard. We go there all the time, and the experience is always superb. I thought I wasn't a fan of German food until I went there for the first time.

There's always something for the adventurous on the menu--wild boar (Mr. Diva loves this), rabbit, venison--but I tend to stick to the maultaschen and the schnitzel. Oh, they make a mean stroganoff, too.

http://blackforestinn.com/

Diva, this looks like a wonderful way to explore German cuisine.

I should have included a link to mine as well:

http://www.gardencourt-restaurant.com/

Click on Afternoon Tea, then check out Prince & Princess Tea -- crown and scepter?!

Come to the small Texas hamlet of Boerne (between San Antonio and Austin) and you will be pleased to discover the most exquisite haute cuisine at YE KENDALL INN.

Served in a real 19th century country inn, with stunning 19thc antiques everywhere.

Food-- from opening courses to desserts--- is TDF, exquisitely prepared and plated. Impeccable service. Superb wine collection. Gorgeous gardens and views.

Fantastic thread, magdalene! Makes me want to go to all the POL five-star destinations! Here's my entry:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/montreal/D52113.html




I'm willing to bet there are more good restaurants in Montreal proportional to the total number of restaurants than in any other city--it's certainly true of any city I've been in. In Montreal it's hard to find a bad meal from the most haute-cuisine toney restaurant to the neighbourhood greasy spoon.

But my favourite restaurant is L'Express, a little bit of Paris in Montreal. When you walk in it's almost always crowded, even at 1am! Better to make a reservation unless it's between mealtimes. The food is resolutely French bistro and the atmosphere is like a mini trip to France. Year after year this restaurant has delivered consistent menus, good service, quality and atmosphere.

Oh, and puh-leez get the Île flottante (floating island) for dessert! Here's an approximation but in pages and pages on Google I couldn't find a pic showing the grandeur of the one from L'Express!

Eleven Madison Park is my current New Yorki City favorite for special occasions. The "must have" dish is the duck. The restaurant is located in an landmarked art deco building and is a worthy showcase for the finely wrought food.

I've been underserved!!

Follow Me Caffe on 62nd St. and Lexington Ave. in NY's Upper East Side. The menu is very simple: omelets, sandwiches, crepes, and a short selection of red, whites and sparkling wines, but everything's delicious and reasonably priced. They also make wonderful crepes. The restaurant is snug but comfortable. There is no shortage of good restaurants in the neighborhood but I've seen people wait up to 45 minutes for a table here for lunch.

They also happen to make the best espresso in town-- it wouldn't be out of place in Rome or Naples. Fragrant, not bitter and puts a real spring in my step.

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/33004

http://www.yelp.com/biz/follow-me-caffe-new-york

Tapawingo in Ellsworth, Michigan.

Ellsworth is a tiny, nothing town in northern Michigan. It's on the way to Lake Michigan, but there is really no reason to go there. Yet it boasts two of the best restaurants in the entire state (the other slips my mind right now; their wine list is astonishing), so some B&Bs have sprung up just for foodies willing to make the trek.

Tapawingo is one of the best restaurants I've ever visited. Their food is always interesting, always fresh, often local. If you love morels, they do a marvelous job with them during the season. The restaurant is in an unassuming house that sits on a small, lovely lake, which doesn't hurt.

http://www.tapawingo.net/hours.php

Oh Maria you're back you're back! I have been off in wedding land and not paying much attention.. anyway- Have you been to Manka's Inverness lodge in Marin? Sooo romantic and delicious; I have not had such yummy food in a long time. I need to think some more, the Bayarea is filled with eatin' opportunities.

Oooh, I am thrilled to say that Fiveoaks and I had the pleasure of having her birthday lunch together at L'Express in Montreal. The Iles Flottantes were magnifiques! And it really is a wonderfully French bistro.

In San Diego, my favorite place is Roppongi. It's an Asian fusian/tapas restaurant with great food and spectacular desserts. Love the sticky english toffee dessert.

In the San Francisco bay area, we always go to the Bella Vista up on Skyline Drive for elegant family celebrations. Excellent food and service.

In DC, Central on Pennsylvania Avenue
http://www.centralmichelrichard.com/eat/

It's just good food.

And Duangrats on Leesburg Pike in Virginia, for Thai.

And I would say Sunday brunch at the Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Avenue, but I haven't been in awhile. It used to be incredible. There was a harpist, maybe that's what made the food taste so good.

The Trellis in Williamsburg for overall fine dining.

Mahi Mah's at the oceanfront in Virginia Beach for seafood.

What about Fuller's and The Duck Inn?
ETA: Nevermind. I just saw the Duck Inn's gone!

The Duck Inn was demolished. Boo

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my beloved's deli in Norfolk.

Mare, you really are on my former stomping grounds! I spent a year at the Naval Amphibious Base at Little Creek. Norfolk, Hampton Roads. Beautiful country. For whatever reason, you guys don't permit road signs and billboards. Makes the country look so beautiful and untouched. Texas should take a page out of your book....

Yay, corroboration from the other side of the continent! That was a great lunch and I was only sorry we had not ordered the île flottante first because even though we shared it some had to be left over!

I must get myself over there. I live just down the road from it. I've been hearing about it for years... I love taking myself out on dates.

Fiveoaks, you know I actually do that sometimes - as Garfield says, "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first!" :-)

Cajun Kate's, a little 6-seat stand in the Booth's Corner Farmer's Market in Boothwyn, PA (just over the border from Wilmington, DE) has the best authentic Cajun and Creole food north of New Orleans! I go up once in a while and buy several quarts of gumbo to take home and put in the freezer.

That's out of my area - I'm in Baltimore. Some of my favorite restaurants in my area include Louisiana for their crab bisque and blackened shrimp and grits, Sotto Sopra for delicious Italian that goes beyond the expected red sauce, and the new Crush (no site yet) that's an upmarket "local hangout" that has a great salmon BLT and shrimp risotto.

It was marvelous when we ate there 15 years ago. (On our honeymoon!) They claim to have the original "Death by Chocolate" dessert, and they're probably right -- even DH, a chocoholic before he lost his sense of smell/taste, couldn't make it all the way through it. It wasn't huge, just seriously rich.

Their rabbit appetizer has never left my mind. It just melted in your mouth.

In Tyson's Corner Virginia (just outside DC), I highly recommend Bob Kinkead's Colvin Run Tavern. An absolutely superb dining experience. New American cuisine with fresh local ingredients. Surprises at every turn.

http://www.colvinrun.com/

Oh, and did I mention that it is next door to the Hermes boutique?

Teddius
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In Cambridge, Massachusetts, I recommend Ana Sortun's restaurant, Oleana. Lovely Turkish/eastern Mediterranean food. She has also recently opened a fantastic bakery, called Sofra. The pastries, meze, etc. available for take out are TDF.

http://www.oleanarestaurant.com/