10 Best Places to Pig Out

From 'grilled to perfection' to 'garden fresh'

(NEWSER) - Tired of menus that use the same old phrases over and over? So are the food critics at the Chicago Tribune. They nominated nine menu clichés for the compost pile:

• "Grilled to perfection": Subjective to the point of meaninglessness. And why always grilled, and not “boiled” or “baked”? Can only grilling reach perfection?
• "World famous": Almost always an empty boast.
• "Kobe burger": “Kobe” is becoming a general synonym for “high quality”; it doesn't apply unless the beef actually came from Japan.

Don't look too far west of the Mississippi for any of them

(NEWSER) -

1. AVALON DINER, Houston, TX
2. BECKY'S DINER, Portland, ME
3. BLUE BENN DINER, Bennington, VT
4. CONNELLY'S GOODY GOODY DINER, St. Louis, MO
5. DUTCH KITCHEN, Frackville, PA

Bankrupt restaurant chain offers bad food at high prices

(NEWSER) - There are a lot of theories as to why Sbarro filed for bankruptcy last month—including “too-rapid growth” and the decline of malls. But Justin Peters has “a simpler explanation: Nobody likes Sbarro,” he writes in Slate . “Devoid of atmosphere, charm, and gustatory relevance, with no signature product to call its own, it's America's least essential restaurant.” On top of that, a simple slice of pizza sets you back $3.49. More»

Pies in new 'stratosphere of respect'

(NEWSER) - In recent years, a new culture has developed around pizza: “It’s scrutinized and fetishized, with a Palin-esque power to polarize,” writes Frank Bruni in the New York Times. That means debates over oven types, varieties of flour, the virtues of buffalo mozzarella. The new “stratosphere of respect” for the pies is reflected in countless classy new restaurants that have sprung up all over New York. More»

Esquire 's picks from all over the US

(NEWSER) - After surveying restaurants across the US, Esquire gave the country props for its chops, proclaiming "the emergence of American cooking as the most diverse and most innovative in the world." It highlighted 20 favorite new restaurants of the year:

1. L20 (Chicago): Overlook its Midwest locale; this place serves the best fish, with a lobster bisque as rich as its $165, 12-course offering.
2. Bar Blanc (New York): An incredibly chic space with incredibly comforting dishes, like sweetbreads on watercress with sherry-poached cherries.