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I grew up eating at the Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse, NY, and its still my favorite.
Smitty's in Lockhart, TX (outside my second home of Austin, TX) is a close second though!

The best falafel I have ever had was in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at a place called El Rey de Falafel in the Zona Colonial. Better than anything I've had here in Cairo, believe it or not.

Grew up on Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse - it will always have a special place in my heart (er, gut).
Now I'm a fan of Smitty's (Lockhart, TX) and the Salt Lick (Driftwood, TX).

My worst was definitely last year, and it had nothing to do with how the food turned out:
My (ex) boyfriend's parents came into town for long weekend. I was really excited to cook my first Thanksgiving meal in its entirety. BF was out of the country on a business trip for the first 3 weeks of November, so about two weeks prior to the holiday we were discussing over the phone and I was excitedly telling him my menu plans. His response: "No one's expecting much, so don't go too crazy". OUCH. He knew I love to cook, and have been told my numerous people (BF included) that the results are more than halfway decent. OK, fine, not gonna let that cramp my style. His parents are pretty unadventurous eaters, so I kept the menu traditional - roast turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, cranberries, salad, buttermilk muffins, and green beans, plus plenty of nibbles to keep everyone happy while I was cooking. BF isn't a pie eater, but I love pumpkin, so I made a delectable (and expensive) pumpkin cheesecake.

BF's dad kept asking why everything was taking so long and completely obliterated the appetizers within half an hour of them being out. When we sat down to eat, he proceeded to stuff his face silently, not even pausing to say "This is good" or "Thanks for cooking" or any number of small things he could have said that would have shown he appreciated the fact that I cooked a feast for him. When I brought out my beautiful cheesecake, first words out of his dad's mouth were "No pie??". I was floored - I was raised to eat what was served when you're a guest at someone's house. At the time I was so mad I couldn't even respond - its only now that I can think of some zingers I could have said in return. Real kicker was finding out BFs "business trip" hadn't been so much business as pleasure...

However - I've got a good feeling about this year. I moved in with a friend who she loves cooking as much as I do. Her family is coming into town and since my folks are a 6 hour plane ride away, she's invited me to join them. We're having loads of fun planning and shopping and preparing for our gourmet Thanksgiving dinner - with pumpkin creme brulee for dessert, thank you very much :)

Um YUM this sounds amazing. The monounsaturated fats in the peanut butter balance out the saturated fats in the fries, right? right??
Dipping french fries in an accompanying milkshake/Frostie is also delicious. I believe its one of the few food items approved by the FDA as a totally effective treatment for PMS and pregnancy induced cravings..

Amanda really set my teeth on edge last night. The use of sherry in her dish was such a bad judgment call it made me wonder if she really understood they were cooking for children. Does anyone else find it strange that Jacqueline seemed to just accept the fact that they ran out of money and de facto alter her dessert? I hope she tried to negotiate at some point and it was just edited out.
Also, her public berating of Kenney re: the nutritional value of peanut butter at the Judges Table was beyond sophomoric.
I'd be thrilled if she was the next to go. Maybe back to that middle school so she can re-learn how to play well with others.
On the other hand, seeing the other two teams colorful, creative, and nutritious lunches was so heartening! Mr. Kass has his work cut out for him, though, and I hope he and Ms. Obama can make some positive changes from their initiative.

I second the risotto suggestion. Delicious with parmesan on top.

What if I can't find that particular beer - what other kind of beer can I substitute?

@arbeck. Thats my thought. I do like the project aspect of making pho, but I have this sneaking suspicion that the fruits of my hard labor will pale in comparison to the $4.50/bowl place down the street.

I had pho for the first time at some hole in the wall in Fountain Valley, CA (home to one of the biggest Vietnamese populations outside Vietnam) about five years ago and it's become a monthly, if not weekly, staple in my diet. Except for the one misguided year I gave up red meat.

Thanks awesome foodies!

If you cook it without the requisite stirring, it won't be as creamy as risotto, but it will still be a different texture than regular rice. Make yourself some real risotto and enjoy - hubbies need to fend for themselves occasionally, its good for them ;)

Sorry El_Zilcho, what misplacedtexan was describing is most definitely Texan migas. I don't doubt that the "original" version of migas is a different dish, but so it goes with many other dishes that have been regionally adapted, e.g. Japanese "curry", BBQ differences regionally (where I grew up BBQ was anything cooked on a grill and in central Texas that would be blasphemy since it doesn't involve indirect heat), etc.

I don't know why, its just a pet peeve of mine when people correct other people just to seem to say "you don't know what you're talking about, but I do".

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/missing-migas/

Of course I mean "edible". Not "endible".