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Townsend or Friday Saturday Sunday for upscale. ITV for food/cocktails/energy. Or Res Ipsa for food/pasta - it’s a coffee shop by day so ambiance is somewhat lacking. It also is BYO. Eater has recently added Le Virtu to its list of 38 essential Philly restaurants, so good things may be happening there. All 4 of your choices, Steve, actually are on that list. https://philly.eater.com/maps/38-best-philadelphia-restaurants

I’ve been a resident of Philly for the past two years. I got to know Don when I lived in DC from 2001-04. I’ve not been to any of these 4 places, although I am most intrigued by Russet. Given I’ve passed the others over, I’d suggest you replace them with one of the following restaurants I can recommend: Townsend, ITV, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Res Ipsa (not red sauce but some of the best pasta in the city!), Sate Kempar, Friday Saturday Sunday, Royal Boucherie, Vedge, Little Fish, Perla, Stargazy (British pie shop - notmopen for dinner yet - only lunch). Happy to extrapolate!

Pan Fried Rappahannock River Oysters - Wilted Spinach, Celeriac Mousseline, Pineapple-Caper Brown Butter "¢ 14 I was in town on a quick work-related trip this Tuesday and sat at the Equinox bar for lunch. I ordered the risotto fritters and this delicious dish. I cannot describe how delicious the oysters were and the balance of flavor from the celeriac and the pineapple brown butter. Simply divine - and easily one of the best dishes I have had in the past year.

I can't say enough good things about Clyde Common which opened in the Ace Hotel in Portland in May of 2007. My wife and I ate there back in June when we stumbled upon the place near our downtown hotel. It features communal tables, high ceilings, knowledgeable service, and seasonal cooking. There was a chicken liver appetizer on the menu back in June that was just exquisite (and I don't even particularly like chicken livers). I look forward to returning while in Portland on business next Friday evening. I'll report back. Another must visit in Portland is Pearl Bakery.

Vancouver & Vancouver Island is a special corner of the world on a number of fronts, including its cuisine. My wife and I had one of the meals of our life at West while on our honeymoon in June 2005. West can prepare both surf & turf brillantly. I also recall its stellar cheese course. We visited SoBo in Tofino as well. A definite stop for foodies. Tofino is off the beaten path, surely, but it's well worth the drive over the mountains. If you're starting your drive north from Victoria, Zanatta Winery in Duncan, B.C., is a very pleasant stop for lunch. I was quite amazed at the quality of the food here. Apart from the much heralded Wickaninnish Inn and the Long Beach Lodge, Shelter along the "main drag" in Tofino is another good option for dinner. I've posted a few Tofino pictures for your enjoyment. Cheers.

One of his last reviews was a glowing one about The Inn at Easton. For those of you that can't access the Times archives, here are a couple of selections: "The inn offers a taste of Down Under food, which includes some of the most innovative cooking in the world, without the hassle of a 14-hour plane flight. Makes a man forget he ever heard of Outback Steakhouse." "Any country restaurant within easy reach of Washington -- within a two-hour drive, say -- inevitably invites comparison with the Inn at Little Washington, the much-honored establishment in the foothills west of the capital. The Inn at Easton is no exception, but there is really very little resemblance, except that both offer cooking of a quality not often encountered."

Although I live in Madison, Wisconsin, I seem to find a way to make it to Corduroy at least once a year. Thanks to Erik Ox for setting this one up. After dining at an adjacent table during last fall's infamous corkage incident, this year's meal included no wine-swilling jackals. Ah, tranquility. The only comment I must make is: The duck egg and confit salad rocks!!! (No pun intended.) I couldn't believe how well the flavors and texture of the duck egg geled with the rest of this dish. Of course, the pork belly was great, too.

As I was staying at The Madison Hotel on a business trip into town, I enjoyed a really nice lunch at Palette this past Monday. The peaky toe crab salad included a fair, but not overwhelming, portion of crab meat, on a bed of very fresh greens, with a heirloom tomato and avocado yogurt dressing. The house lemonade also hit the spot. The bar is a terrific, comfortable place for the solo diner to set up camp. From 12-12:30 on a Monday, Palette was pretty quiet with only one other diner at the bar and 3-4 tables in the main dining room.

This may be too late but for restaurants check out the Kitchen Table Bistro in Richmond just off I-89, Exit 11. It's about 12 miles east of Burlington. Great use of local ingredients. I also second the Smokejacks recommendation. Terrific bloody mary and a good lunch spot. Cafe Shelburne is good for very traditional French cuisine. It's right on Route 7 in Burlington just across from the Shelburne Museum. And here's some information about the Vermont Cheese Trail. Shelburne Farms is located just south of Burlington along Lake Champlain. If you're a beer fan, Magic Hat is worth a visit.

If you're flying into SFO and need a burger fix, the nearest In N Out Burger is one exit south on 101. It's at the Millbrae Ave. exit, just west of the highway. You can see the sign from the highway (but not until after you will have passed the exit).

When I used to travel to Boston for business with some frequency, I always tried to stop at No. 9 Park. For the solo diner, the bar is a terrific place to dine.

A visit to Cleveland would be incomplete without stopping by Lolita, home of the closed but soon to be reopened Lola, written about in Michael Ruhlman's A Soul of A Chef. Lolita is a self-described casual, Mediterranean-style bistro. There's a whole thread on eGullet about it. Chef Michael Symon (of Lola and Lolita) was named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 1998. He has recently opened a restaurant called Parea in New York City as well.

I'm currently in Madison, Wisconsin and my wife and I have been down to Chicago several times over the past year or so. I can personally recommend Cafe Spiaggia, Spring and North Pond (located in Lincoln Park north of downtown). I've heard very good things about Alinea, Aria, Avenues, Schwa, and Blackbird but haven't eaten at those (only at Blackbird's cousin Avec next door).

I was in Nashville for a business meeting earlier this month--staying at Opryland, a sprawling, artificial environment to the city's northeast. However, I managed to find my way downtown one evening. Jack's Bar-B-Que at 416 Broadway in Nashville absolutely hit the spot. I feasted on the pork shoulder platter with cornbread and sides of mac 'n' cheese and cole slaw. Jack's is very laid back. You go up to the counter, order what you want, get your sauces, and find a seat. I'm certainly no barbeque expert, but it was delicious food, a very generous portion of pork, and stellar cole slaw--more of a vinegar base than a traditional milk base. This is food I can't get in Wisconsin--and all y'all probably can't find in DC either. Broadway in Nashville is lined with various music clubs--some famous, some not--featuring country, bluegrass, hillbilly, honky-tonk and other musical varieties. It's a little bit touristy, but there are plenty of locals about as well.

Melissa Kelly is the Executive Chef and proprietor of Primo, a 7-year-old restaurant in Rockland, Maine--about 75 miles or two hours northeast of Portland. Kelly is the 1999 James Beard Foundation Awards winner of the American Express Best Chef, Northeast Award. Her husband, Price Kushner, serves as bakery/pastry chef. She is profiled in Michael Ruhlman's new book, The Reach of A Chef. She also owns Primo Restaurants in Orlando, Florida and Tucson, Arizona. My wife and I had dinner at Primo last Tuesday night while on vacation in Maine. It was superb--one of the best meals we've had all year. The restaurant is located in an old farmhouse, on a small bluff overlooking the southern end of Rockland Harbor (about a mile south of downtown). There are number of small dining rooms, located on both and first and second floors. We sat at a two-top in the front room on the first floor. On the property are a number of gardens, providing a number of fresh ingredients used in Primo's cooking. While the restaurant was chock full of customers by Tuesday evening, it never became too noisy or uncomfortable. For appetizers, I had the oysters two ways and Sara had the salad. The oysters reminded me of the oysters three ways at Restaurant August in New Orleans--I found them to be even better. Both served in their shells, the Pemaquids were roasted in the wood oven with red pepper basil butter; the Sudsbury oysters were fried with green coriander and corn relish. The corn in the latter preparation was by itself incredibly tender and flavorful. My wife had the salad of red lettuces with black mission figs, rosemary almonds, and a Gorgonzola dolce crostini with balsamic fig vinagrette. Our amuse was a shot of gazpacho (which was also used in other dishes on the menu). For entrees, I had the wood grilled Cayuga duck breast served with a hazelnut farrotto, lemon thyme and scallions, roast beets, and a wild blueberry gastrique. Sara had a special, blackfish (called toehog locally) with yellow tomato gazpacho, carolina rice with coriander oil, and peekytoe crab fritters. The duck, served medium rare, was among the moistest I've been served. Desserts. Wow! I had the affogato with zeppole, my wife had an evening special, the profiteroles with peanut butter gelato, peanut brittle sauce and chocolate. The zeppoles rivaled beignets I've had in New Orleans. And the affogato was rich and giant, completely unfinishable after such a large meal. Our server had worked at Primo for four years, certainly someone personally invested in the restaurant. She took care of us terrifically, ready with helpful recommendations about the menu to lead us inpleasing directions. The restaurant also has a well-designed cocktail and wine list. I'd say that the wine list is about 75-80% Old World, with a nice choice by the glass as well as some half bottles. I had the Question Mark to begin the evening, made with Maker's Mark. I managed to find a small producer California pinot noir by the glass with dinner. And enjoyed a glass of house-made limoncello with dessert. They fixed up my pregnant wife with a lovely 'maternity cocktail' to start the evening and she had an enormous chai with dessert. Overall, the food struck me as tremendously sophisticated. Not sophisticated in an arrogant sort of way or in the use of lots of foams and new-fangeled cooking methods and presentations, but in its emphasis on fresh ingredients that speak to the palate in harmony with one another. One thing I did notice is that those with late reservations or late walk-ins were left waiting in the entry foyer for tables to clear. Pacing at Primo is rather relaxed, which is wonderful for those dining, but may potentially lead to waits later in the evening. Our reservation was at 6:30 pm and we were seated promptly. A final observation: Both my wife and I were struck by the enormity of choices at a small restaurant. Inclusing specials, there were no less than 12 appetizers, 2 pastas, 9 entrees, and 15 dessert choices. Other appetizer choices included foie gras, soup, 2 additional salads, and wood fired pizza with duck confit. Other entree choices included lamb 2 ways, pork saltimbocca (the house specialty), wood roasted bronzino, and pan-seared scallops. Primo is a restaurant around which we'd build another visit to the Maine coast!