Orange County

La Perla Tapatia
Most Mexican restaurants stick to gabacho favorites at the exclusion of regional specialties, or focus on a state cuisine and ignore enchiladas and other Southwest standards as if they were the Minuteman Project. Striking a happy medium is La Habra’s La Perla Tapatia, a dive where the only…More >>

Phoenix

Matt’s Big Breakfast
Matt and Erenia Pool, we love you guys. And, boy, we’d love to clone you — or at least your fantastic little, er, big breakfast joint. The buzz on Matt’s Big Breakfast has been strong ever since it opened a few years ago, and indeed, there’s always been a bit of a wait for a table. The…More >>

Matt’s Big Breakfast in Phoenix

San Francisco

Ike’s Place
The colorfully named sandwiches people line up for in the Castro feel as if they weigh two pounds, dripping wet. And indeed they do drip, with layers of juicy meats, chopped fresh vegetables, and special sauces (the popular garlicky “dirty sauce” in particular), assembled just for you by boyish…More >>

Seattle

Hot Mama’s Pizza
You know a pizza parlor specializes in feeding drunken masses when it switches from plastic to paper plates daily at 5 p.m. Hot Mama’s Pizza has served up New York-style slices to inebriated Seattleites since opening across the street from Linda’s Tavern in 1995. The tiny hole in the wall…More >>

Honeyhole
Huffing and puffing up Pike Street, I’m always caught short by the delectable odor wafting from the kitchen of the Honey Hole, that awesome Capitol Hill sandwich joint. During ideal downwind conditions, you can smell the ingredients of classics like the Bandit and Gooch from blocks away. Even if…More >>

HoneyHole in Seattle

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