| General Manager | Restaurant | Favorite Place in your City you would take your Parents to | Favorite Places in your city to take a date... | To go with a group of friends... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiffani Cioe | AMERICAN FISH, Las Vegas |
Los Tacos in downtown Las Vegas for amazing carne asada tacos!! | L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand in Las Vegas is a great date spot. | Raku! I always recommend it and have a great time there. |
| Jorge Pagani | MICHAEL MINA, Las Vegas |
Definitely STRIPSTEAK at Mandalay Bay. | Bouchon at the Venetian in Las Vegas. | Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas. |
| Ed Tracy | NOBHILL TAVERN, Las Vegas |
NOBHILL TAVERN, as they always want to eat where I am currently working. | There are so many places in Las Vegas where I haven't been yet...so someplace that is new to both of us. Though I do really enjoy Firefly and Raku. | Slow’s Barbeque in Detroit. No question. |
| Alison Murphy | SEABLUE, Las Vegas |
STRIPSTEAK for the fun environment and cuisine that Mom and Dad appreciate. | L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon! They exceed expectations every time. | Raku. It’s fun, the food just keeps coming and it’s easy to engage with friends. |
| Ryan Cole | MICHAEL MINA, San Francisco |
My top choice would be Seasons 52 in Orlando, Florida. | Nothing beats some classic Italian at Cecconi’s in Los Angeles. | Beretta in San Francisco is a great place to get together with friends. |
| Marko Sotto | RN74, San Francisco |
I’d love to take them on a tour of some of my favorite San Francisco spots, including Commis, Bar Tartine, Cotogna, Bobo's. | My wife and I love Flour + Water and Tataki. And it’s always fun to visit My Place for a few late-night drinks. | I can never pick just one place. My friends and I love going to Brown Sugar Kitchen, Nopa, The Ramp and Zeitgeist. |
| Philip Barcio | CLOCK BAR, San Francisco |
It would be amazing to take them to Il Colle degli Ulivi in Calabria, Italy! | It’s far off, but Siggi Hall at Odinsve in Reykjavik, Iceland! | Blue Heaven in Key West, Florida is a great place to hang out with friends any time of day. |
| Rodney Schick | BOURBON STEAK, San Francisco | Acquerello in San Francisco. | Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in North Beach. | Ozumo is great for Japanese food and their sake list is incredible! |
| Tracy Unger | STONEHILL TAVERN, Dana Point |
Le Bernardin in New York City. Absolutely! | Cyrus restaurant in the heart of Sonoma Wine Country! | I love to take friends to George’s on the coast in Newport Beach. |
| Adam Lawrence | ARCADIA, San Jose |
Omogari Korean in San Jose, California. | Sent Sovi in Saratoga, California is nice date spot. | Sushi Maru in San Jose is always fun! |
| Anibal Macias | BOURBON STEAK, Scottsdale |
To this little tiny restaurant called Los Guajolotes. It’s in a village near my hometown in Mexico. | Elements in Arizona. Great food and an amazing view of Paradise Valley! | Limón Restaurant on Valencia Street in San Francisco. One of my favorites! |
| John Riccardo | BOURBON STEAK, Miami |
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami is always a great spot! | Timo restaurant is a great place in South Florida. | I love spending time with friends at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami. |
| Sarah Pham | BOURBON STEAK, Detroit |
Seoul Garden in Ann Arbor, Michigan for great Korean and Japanese food! | Pacific Rim in Ann Arbor, Michigan always tops my list. | The Earle is a great little spot in Ann Arbor. |
| Kyle McGrath | SEABLUE, Atlantic City |
Victory Brew Pub in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Simple people, good pub food and they have great beer...Golden Monkey is my favorite! | Cucharamama in Hoboken, New Jersey. Twenty seats and a wood-fired oven set the mood. | My friends and I love Tequila's. It’s the best Mexican food in Philly! |
| Mark Politzer | BOURBON STEAK, Washington, D.C. |
I love Central in D.C.! | Lincoln in New York City is great! | The Publican in Chicago always has fun stuff going on. |
| Eric Perlin | RN74, Seattle |
Grimaldi’s for great pizza! | I have to agree that L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is an amazing spot in Las Vegas. | Jaleo by Jose Andres in Las Vegas is amazing. |
Where We Eat and Drink
With an abundance of experience dining out, our General Managers have made some great suggestions on where to dine under an array of circumstances, including with your parents, on a date or with a group of friends. They have noted a variety of restaurants that can suit just about any occasion in a multitude of cities.
And what’s a meal without a beverage? Read on to learn about some of the best bottles our sommeliers have ever opened, their dream bottle choices and a peek into some of their comical first wine experiences!
| Sommeliers | Restaurant | What is the 1st bottle of wine you drank? | What is your dream bottle? | What is the best bottle you ever opened? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Turner | MICHAEL MINA, San Francisco |
1992 Lewis Cabernet. | 1978 Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 9L. | 1847 Château d’Yquem. |
| Eric Railsback, RN74 San Francisco | RN74, San Francisco |
Loimer Lois Gruner Veltliner. | 1979 Raveneau Chablis Clos. | 1875 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. |
| Noah Dranow | BOURBON STEAK, San Francisco |
The first wine I remember drinking was a '79 Leoville Poyferre with my mom. She introduced me to wine. | That's so hard to answer! Probably a '34 Romanée-Conti. | 1919 Romanée-Conti. |
| Daniel Grajewski | STONEHILL TAVERN, Dana Point |
At the age of 4, I drank a quarter of a bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill that my parents had mistakenly left behind on a counter. I haven't touched the stuff since! | 1928 Krug. | 1945 Château Mouton Rothschild. |
| Joseph Phillips | MICHAEL MINA, Las Vegas |
A half-bottle of Bolla Valpolicella. | Since we are dreaming, I would love to try one of the first growths that the ancient Roman writers mention. It would be an amazing experience to see what was considered the best wine of 121 BC. | That would be the 1959 Château Pétrus. It was almost 10 years ago that I served it. I had been a sommelier for about a month and I was very nervous when the guest ordered it. I put down the wrong glassware and had a hard time keeping my hands steady as I decanted it. It was the first time I ever served and tasted a bottle that old. I have opened and tasted many great bottles of wine since then, but that was an unforgettable experience. |
| Steve Hua | STRIPSTEAK, Las Vegas |
Blue Nun in 1976. Seriously! | Harlan ’97. It’s a wine that I will actually buy if I have the cash. | Sassicaia ’85 tastewise, but the most expensive was Pétrus ’82. |
| Melissa Mendez | SEABLUE, Las Vegas |
I was 6 and at the family dinner table. It was Valpolicella and I'm fairly certain it had water mixed in to make it more "child appropriate." | 1947 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino Barolo. | 1962 Pétrus out of magnum. |
| Joshua Betts | ARCADIA, San Jose |
It was Amarone but I don't remember by who... I just remember I liked it!! I think it was 1998 Bertani. | 1985 Sassicaia. I have had so many great moments with this wine but never the infamous '85! | 1979 Krug magnum. |
| Julian Mayor | BOURBON STEAK, Washington, D.C. | Blue Nun!!! | Ramonet Montrachet. | Wind Gap Syrah. It's all about the company! |
| Justin Hall | BOURBON STEAK, Detroit |
Château Duhart-Milon Rothschild, Pauillac 1982. | I drink dream bottles all the time. I crave young Pigato from Northern Italy; these wines remind me of the community of food and wine to which I belong. My favorite producers include Aschero, Giacomelli and Punta Crena. | Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1945 magnum. |
| Nick Padua | BOURBON STEAK, Scottsdale |
"Wicker Basket" Chianti. | 1928 Krug. | 1989 Sociando-Mallet. |
| Dustin Wilson | RN74, San Francisco |
Boordy Vineyards Chardonnay. | 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti "Romanée-Conti." | 1864 Château Latour. |
| Chad Ziegler | RN74, San Francisco |
I imagine it was nothing to brag about; most likely Yellowtail or Charles Shaw. | Dream bottle of white is 1985 Roulot Meursault Perrières en magnum. And dream red is 1945 Romanée-Conti en magnum. | 1875 Romanée-Conti and 1864 Latour. |
| Jenna Boyer | MICHAEL MINA, San Francisco |
Veuve Clicquot. | 1985 La Tâche magnum. | 1985 Sassicaia. |
| Aaron Patrick | BOURBON STEAK, San Francisco |
Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. | 1928 Salon. It was the vintage the Germans stole from France when they occupied Germany during WWII. | The best bottle I've opened lately is 1972 Louis Jadot Clos de la Roche. It the type of bottle that reminds you how amazing wine can be! |
| Patricia Ely | BOURBON STEAK, Washington, D.C. |
The house red at a restaurant in Florence, Italy while having dinner with my parents during a trip there. I was only 14, but they poured me a glass. | 1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche. | 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild. |
| Matthew George | STRIPSTEAK, Las Vegas |
The first to motivate me was a 1997 Château Figeac. | 1978 DRC La Tâche. | 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild. |
| Gabriel Garcia | STRIPSTEAK, Las Vegas |
1998 A.D.W. "The Hattrick" Shiraz blend. | 1900 Château Margaux. | 1994 Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard Cabernet. |