The MaiTai Tom Dining Guide:
In Search Of Excellence In Restaurants
MAITAI’S FOOD FOR THOUGHT
If there’s anything that Tracy and I like, it’s a good meal. We will share our restaurant experiences as we discover new restaurants and revisit some of our old favorites. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, we’ll give you some ideas to chew on.
July 9, 2018
Still Our Favorite Pasta in L.A. Maccheroni Republic – Los Angeles, CA Visited twice in May of 2018 It’s comforting to know that some things don’t change in life, like my favorite pasta restaurant in Los Angeles continuing to provide the freshest pasta four and a half years after our […]
May 24, 2018
South Philly Perfection Ristorante Pesto – Philadelphia, PA Italian – Visited: April 2018 Before leaving for Philadelphia many people offered me dozens of restaurant recommendations, but after diligently doing my homework (something I should have done in college) there was only one place I knew we MUST visit … Ristorante […]
February 6, 2018
Perfect for Morning, Afternoon and Evening Great Maple – Pasadena, CA Visited: 2017 & 2018 (Many times) An outing in November 2017 to the Pasadena Convention Center to see retired Los Angeles Dodger announcer Vin Scully speak resulted in our stumbling (and I hadn’t even had a cocktail yet) onto […]
December 27, 2017
Travels With Mai Tai Tom 2017 Restaurant of the Year Manuela – Los Angeles, CA Visited: Brunch and Dinner • February 2017 & Dinner: December 2017 Restaurant Type: Eclectic Contemporary Southern As the year was winding to a close, we had yet to select Mai Tai Tom’s Restaurant of the […]
October 5, 2017
Nick’s Strikes Again! South of Nick’s Mexican Kitchen + Bar – San Clemente, CA Visited: August 2017 Since Tracy and I had already visited and enjoyed Nick’s in Long Beach and Nick’s in Laguna Beach, we decided to head to South of Nick’s San Clemente. We met our friends, Kim […]
September 8, 2017
Very Good…But Not Quite The BestiaBestia – Los Angeles, CA After waiting nearly a year to secure reservations at Bestia located in the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, Tracy, Susan and I arrived for dinner on a Monday evening at 5:45 p.m. Yes, you read that correctly, it took […]
August 1, 2017
Worthy Of An Encore Maestro – Pasadena, CA Visited: July 2017 • Cuisine: Modern Mexican Tracy and I realized we had been on an Italian restaurant kick lately, so it was time to head south of the border (well, it is south of our house in Pasadena) and investigate a […]
June 26, 2017
A Golden Find In Silver Lake Alimento – Silver Lake, CA Visited: June 2017 (Twice) • Restaurant Type: Italian Inspired Alimento in Silver Lake had been on our dining radar ever since it opened in 2014. Unfortunately, it took us over three years to make it here (we’re very good […]
May 27, 2017
Afternoon Tea For Four With Peacocks, Bagpipes & A Wedding Prestonfield House – Edinburgh, Scotland Afternoon Tea – Visited: May 2017 After a morning and early afternoon of walking in the steady drizzle through Edinburgh (including this priceless view from Princes Street Gardens up to Edinburgh Castle) … … Tracy, […]
May 20, 2017
Ooh La La: Best Damned Steak Tartare … Ever! L’Escargot Bleu – Edinburgh, Scotland French – Visited May 2017 While staying at our lovely b&b in Edinburgh (Millers64, which has subsequently closed due to the pandemic), our hostess Louise told us about a French restaurant (you can only have so […]
May 10, 2017
In The Nick’s Of Time Nick’s on Second – Long Beach, CA Nick’s Laguna Beach – Laguna Beach, CA Visited: March & April 2017 Restaurant Type: California Comfort Food…with a flair Well, you know what they say, “Two Nick’s is better than one!” In the past couple of months we […]
January 6, 2017
Travels With Mai Tai Tom 2016 Vacation Restaurant Of The Year L’Ange 20 – Paris, France There were lots of great choices this year for the first ever Travels With Mai Tai Tom Vacation Restaurant Of The Year, but L’Ange 20 in Paris brought home the award with two impeccable […]
September 30, 2016
Dinner In The Cave L’Arôme – Bonnieux, France Continental – Visited: September 2016 Situated on a stunningly picturesque Provence plateau high in the Luberon hills, beautiful Bonnieux became our home for four nights in the autumn of 2016 on our three-week trip to France. The owner at our fantastic B&B, […]
September 29, 2016
Beaune Appétit Le Bacchus – Beaune, France Visited: September 2016 While I’m busily writing the France 2016 Trip Report (which should be slightly shorter than War and Peace), I thought I’d include a couple of France restaurant reviews to (for lack of a better phrase) whet your appetite. This trip […]
September 7, 2016
Wheel Of Fortune Forma – Santa Monica, CA Visited: September 2016 • Restaurant Type: Italian When Tracy and I learned that a highly rated Italian restaurant in Santa Monica served pasta in giant wheels of cheese, we decided Forma was a place we had to try! While in NYC […]
July 23, 2016
Brunch At The Presidio Arguello – San Francisco, CA Visited: May 2016 (Permanently Closed) After our tour of the Walt Disney Family Museum (click link on the left to take you to the story in California Dreaming), Kim, Mary, Tracy and I had worked up quite an appetite. Filing past […]