What's your favorite restaurant and meal?

[Trek420]

Favorite dives in random order:

Sauls in Berkeley - www.saulsdeli.com

New York style deli food, made a friend who's a Boston native weep for joy and nostalgia. Great service.

Lois the Pie Queen in Oakland - Southern and soul food with an undetectably lighter style. You'll never know it's good for you Inexpensive and berry good. Have some pie.

Blackberry Bistro also Oakland - same as above, pricey, worth it, sit outside and people on a nice day. Breakfast, brunch only.

Cambodiana also Berkeley, Cambodian food of course and best lamb chops anywhere!

Gary Chu's in Santa Rosa. - exceptional Chinese food, reasonable yet can be too beautiful to eat.

Lynns I think the name is in Cambria - ollaliberry pies, pancakes...

For burgers I like Vals on A' st in Hayward - great real ice cream shakes, pizza from Bronco Billy's either location, ice cream Fentons creations are bigger than your head.

I do not eat at chains often yet sometimes crave an I-hop meal. When traveling I enjoy spotting independent restaurants and saying "this looks good" and I'm good at finding them.

I look for places that look clean, some people smiling inside, local plates on the cars, local produces or dishes - have the fry bread in the southwest or the lobster in Maine and of course if there are bikes outside. When it comes to choosing a place to eat I follow what Mae West said "when choosing between two evils I always pick the one I have not tried before"