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5 favorite seawa eats (in no particular order)

sunlight
sometimes the service is slow (and borders on surly) but i go there for my herbal dressing fix whenever i can. try the big green garden salad with the herbal dressing, or brown rice with peanut sauce. their waffles (weekends only) are really good too.

etta's
all of tom douglas' restaurants are good, and etta's isn't necessarily the best of them, but i can't think of a better place to enjoy fresh local oysters, and the sashimi tuna salad is AMAZING.

any one of several excellent thai restaurants including but not limited to:
thaiku, jai thai, kwanjai and tawon thai

musashi's
i will admit that i have had better sushi, but the harusame salad keeps me coming back again and again.

saigon
an old familiar favorite, i have been eating here since i was about 10. the fried pork rolls with the vinegar-y sauce, and the chicken noodle salad. i order the same thing every time i go there and the owner still recognizes me, even though i am lucky if i make it there once a year.

honorable mention:
spuds
when i think of fish and chips i think of spuds. i grew up on this stuff & i have never had better.

5 favorite austin east (in no particular order)

maria's taco xpress
fajita tacos! that's all i have to say on the matter.

el sol y la luna
breakfast taco's and the migas, the taco plate that i can't remember the name of
with chicken & honey mustard yumminess.

the best wurst
brats with the works and an ice cold root beer, sometimes it's hard to choose between a brat or an all beef.

iron works/salt lick
i always get the brisket with lots of sauce, and my favorite sides are coleslaw and mashed potatoes. the salt lick is a trek for the bbq lover, but always worth the trip
iron works is closer & plenty good.

curra's
great for breakfast (the oaxacan coffee is divine) and they have a black bean, fried egg & plantains dish that i love. i don't remember what my favorite lunch/dinner items are. it's been too long, it is definitely one of the best mexican joints in austin.

5 favorite philly eats (in no particular order)

dmitri's
there are so many good things on the menu, not to mention the daily specials, and whatever the whole fish of the day is. the portions are enormous and the cost is more than fair (bordering on cheap).
my favorites: grilled vegetables, grilled octopus, talapia (usually a daily special), avocado-grapefruit salad, the whole fish (especially if it's dorado)

dinic's
why have a cheese steak when you can have a pork sandwich from dinic's?? these are amazing. they are so greasy and fatty that i can only allow myself to have it 1-2 times a year. it's best with some broccoli rabe & provolone. come to think of it, i haven't had one yet this year.....

shouk
a new favorite which sometimes varies in quality. but there is always something that's good enough to want to go back. it's israeli/mediterranean style tapas.
try the kubbeh & the labneh.

sagami (technically in new jersey) / morimoto
under the sushi category there is a tie. (you have to go over the bridge for one of them). sagami is in collingswood, new jersey and we go to sagami on a pretty regular basis. it is some of the best sushi i have ever had, and there are some wonderful appetizers. try the grilled yellow tail cheek and the eggplant appetizer.
and then there is morimoto, which is were we go on special occasions. we have always gotten the tasting menu, which is chef's choice. we went there for my birthday last year and i think i got a bad oyster, i spent the next day hurling my guts out, but that's the risk you run when you eat raw food.

this post was inspired by my upcoming visits to seawa and tejas, and the delicious foods i hope to have time and belly enough to enjoy while i am there.