Foodies Food is good!

If casinos count as a hotel or resort, then Nobu at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas is my favorite!  Sure, it's trendy and noisy, but the food!  The chef's menu is amazing.  There's been some inconsistency in the past year or so, but I've had the most incredible dinners here when they're having a good night - a really delicate balance of textures and flavors that can be subtle yet immensely enjoyable.

Ruth-Chris - the steak place moved back to new orleans and into the casino hotel for harrah's.  You have to like butter on your steak but this place is great. So glad they are back.

Sun Dial restaurant atop the (Westin) Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta.  I honestly don't remember the food since it's been a long while but it's pretty cool to be on the 73rd floor slowly spinning around looking out on the city.

The Phoenix House Restaurant at the Sunday River resort in Newry Maine.

 They have a fireplace outside that is huge and many (about 40)people can sit around making contact.

The deck overlooks the ski area giving views that have to be seen to be understood.

I once went to a wedding there on July 4th. By chance moments after the toast the fireworks went off making a wedding reception that not only the bride and groom will always remember every one there still talks about it years later.

The best thing about the Phoenix house is that you can get a five star meal without having to wear your jacket and tie. 

Sole Food in the Loew's Hotel in Philadelphia. They have 3 tier seafood appetizer that is killer. My opinion may be swayed since I don't eat any other meat besides fish and seafood. Nonetheless it was fabulous and worth evey penny.

10 Arts--Eric Ripert's new bistro-style venue at The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia.  Not ridiculously expensive--but absolutely spectacular in ambiance; good food (try the 'pork and beans' and the 'market salad' and desserts are killer).  Great wine list (for PA).  By all means go--if only for a cockail in their lounge.  Great spot.

The Fountain Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia or Jean Georges in Trump.

I've got two.  #1 is Craftsteak at the MGM Grand in Vegas.  A close second is the Council Oak Steakhouse in Tampa's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.  Both are extraordinary dining experiences!

I was stuck in New York City at the Marriott during the coldest day of the year and the only in-room dining option was Outback Steakhouse.  The grilled salmon was excellent and huge as well as the tuna appetizer.

Fearings at the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas, TX is the best food and far and away the best service I've ever experienced.  Dean Fearing (formerly of the Mansion Hotel) himself came by our table twice. 

Cut in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles is great too.  Wolfgang Puck knows how to run a high end restaurant. 

Best hotel food I have enjoyed was at the Holiday Inn on Mailanderstrasse in Frankfurt, Germany.  The dining room was a fabulous steakhouse, and the breakfast buffet was far and away my favorite anywhere.  An unbelievable array of excellent stuff.

Wow...I've got a few:  there's TJ Cooke's at the Royal Palms in Scottsdale, Fifth Floor at the Palamor Hotel in San Francisco,  The Penthouse at the Huntley in Santa Monica...and too many in Las Vegas to choose from!

I'm heading to the Westin Boneventure in Los Angeles in a few weeks.  Does anyone have a suggestion on a fun place, in or near the hotel,  for a bunch (8 or so) of women to get dinner on a Monday evening?

You have plenty of choices in the vicinity, Hillary.  Water Grill, Nick & Stef's Steakhouse and Cafe Pinot are all solid higher end business meal choices.  The latter 2 are from Joachim Splichal, one of LA's longstanding celebrity chefs.

If your group is a bit adventurous I'd head for Serenata De Garibaldi.  It's  in East LA, but on the same stretch of road as the police station so it's safe.  They remodeled a few years back and the space is lovely. 

The food is Mexican, but unlike any other Mex you will find anywhere.  The emphasis is on fresh seafood, with unique and masterful sauces.  Spice level is from mild to fairly fervent, so there will be something to please everyone.  There is also a mercado complex in the vicinity that makes for an interesting stroll after dinner.

And if you have a slot for a casual lunch, I would recommend Philippe's, the supposed originator of the French Dip sandwich, and about a mile from the hotel.  It is a uniquely LA dining experience, and you will see a cross-section of the populace broader than just about anyhwere else in town.  From the ordering lines to the communal tables to the spicy mustard, everything about the place is singular, and the food is very good, and reasonably priced.  Here's the link to the story behind the restaurant.

http://www.philippes.com/restaurant/

If I were at a meeting that close to Philippe's I'd be finding a way to stop by for a bite... it's a don't miss place for me, as is Serenata.

Cafe Pinot, especially if it is a warm night, they have a great patio and you can walk there from the Westin, just 1 block.  And the menu will have something for everyone, wonderful California cuisine.  You can also walk to Nick and Stefs but it's pretty much pure steaks, but great steaks.  Water Grill used to be the best seafood restaurant in LA, and is still very good, and also walking distance from the Westin, but pricey.  The steakhouse at the top of the Westin is good and they have a nice bar for a drink that rotates giving you a 360 degree view of LA.  Maybe go there for an after dinner drink and desert.  Good cheescake!

Without a doubt, Cero Restaurant at the St. Regis in Fort Lauderdale. I think that the time has come when restaurants in hotel far surpass stand alones or rather aren't and shouldn't be looked down upon.

Don't overlook dining at the Phoenician in Scottsdale. Windows on the Green is spectacular.  Alize at the Palms in Vegas is pretty darn good as well.

I have to say, as much as we all may react up or down to Donald Trump's bombast, his new skyscraper in Chicago is an amazing 90-story+ building that houses a new Trump Hotel and its signature restaurant, Sixteen. I have to say just spectacular. The room is inspiring -- floor to ceiling windows in a loft-like space overlooking the Chicago River, Wrigley Building and other city sights. Service is near perfect and the food lived up to the price. It's hard to get a reservation but worth it. If you're going out to experience a wonderful evening socially or for business, highly recommended.

On a completely different note, I would say my favorite hotel dining experience, bar none, would be the dining room at the Hotel Bel Air in the Bel Air section of LA's west side. The setting transports you to another place. Feels more like a Spanish style estate than hotel. Food is elegant and the service is superior. Beautiful room, or you can eat in the courtyard outside. Just a terrific experience.

Grand Hyatt Singapore has a fantastic multi-cultural restaurant called StraitsKitchen

"Restaurant Dialog" at the Swissotel Zurich is hands down my favorite hotel restaurant. While great service and exceptional food are always must haves I think it was the wait staff that put this place over the top. As a frequent traveler I always ask the same question whenever arriving in a new food frontier, "what's the local favorite here." Sometimes it's great, sometimes not so great... at the Dialog it was Roosti. They take this simple pancake and evolved it into something marvelous while retaining all of the comfort food attributes that makes this dish so popular in German speaking Switzerland. I'm happy to say that Roosti has replaced Raclette as my favorite Swiss dish thanks largely to Restaurant Dialog at the Swissotel Zurich.