The Annotated Friday Food Blog

Bon appetit, foodies. We offer to you, a gift from us, a list of our fave Miss Andrea dining hotspots from around the nation (in no particular order). Calories not included.

1. Japonais — Chicago. Order from the hot and cold menu. Inventive sushi, yummy seafood, hip, warm Asian and comfortable. Have a before- and after-dinner drink downstairs in the sexiest of Chicago bar scenes (and yes, we were there long before Angie and Brad).

2. Nobu — Miami, Vegas and anywhere it's there and the mood strikes. You could book a table and suffer the requisite wait, OR we recommend sitting at the bar where the real action takes place — from the chefs. This is Japanese High Art, folks. Order the creamy-spicy rock shrimp, the miso cod, the crunchy spicy oysters and the yellowtail sashimi appetizer with jalepeno. Criminy, it's the best food ever. And the people-watching is superb.

3. Stewart's Hot Dogs — Huntington, W.Va. Freshly scrubbed college boys and girls in paper hats still serve you at this old-school drive-in — a tray attached to your car's window. Cheap dogs, unusual sauce, perfect root beer in a frosty mug. It's worth looking it up. The barbecue sandwiches with cole slaw are also turbofab.

4. Crook's Corner — Chapel Hill/Carrboro, NC. Shrimp and grits. Man, we love that stuff, and it's a pretty Southern enclave in this left-wing town.

5. Buckhead Diner — Atlanta. Order the homemade potato chips with gorgonzola. GAWD, it is SO superbad for you.

6. Little Door — Los Angeles. Take a date. It's just so, so lovely with the little twinkly lights.

7. Zen (Japanese Food Fast) — Austin, Tex. The greatest ever takeout, eat-in, not-fancy, healthy, clean Japanese you will find in America. Cheap eats. We could have lunch there every day and never get sick of it. They should have these in every city in America. Way better for you than McDonald's, which, BTW, has the greatest cup of coffee ever.

8. Khyber Pass — East Village, NYC. Dank, hookah central, with the best Afghani chow. We are addicted to the fesenjan. Just order it. Too hard to explain.

9. The Peninsula Hotel — Chicago. Go for tea. Linger, read, enjoy. It's a sophisticated respite. Makes us want to dig out the kidskin gloves (of course we own a pair, sillies).

10. Brockton Villa — La Jolla, Calif. We highly recommend the banana French toast or the crab eggs benedict. A small house, overlooking the famed cove. Feel the sea breeze, take in the chi-chi scene below.

11. Barton G. — South Beach, Miami. There is no more inventively plated food in America. And it's delicious as much as it is unique. Quite the scene. Wear high heels and a big earrings. You must.

12. Geoffrey's — Malibu, Calif. So, the food here is only OK. It's the view of the ocean and a nice bottle of Pouilly Fuisse that keeps us going back. Take a nice wrap. It's windy.

13. Zabar's — Upper West Side, NYC. The most amazing deli on Earth, but we go for the coffee. The world doesn't seem right if we don't have an orange and white bag of beans in our freezer. Yes, they mail order: www.zabars.com.

14. Tage — St. John, US Virgin Islands. Key lime margaritas, infused fruit vodkas of every stripe and fresh, seasonal entrees with good veggies and just the proper spin to make them memorable. We dream of this pineapple vodka. Straight up, chilled. Dee-lish. After a day sunning and snorkeling at Cinnamon Bay, this is the place to come.

15. Central Grocery — New Orleans. Open the door, walk directly to the back and order the muffuletta. After this experience, you'll understand why everyone else who puts this on their own menu is just a big ol' poser.

16. Herrera's Mexican Restaurant — Carrollton, Tex. Tex-Mex the way God intended it. Get the pinto bean soup. Oye, es muy yummy.

17. Kona Grill — everywhere you can find 'em. Order the onion rings. We know what you are thinking. Onion rings at an Asian joint? But yes. SUPERIOR.

18. Rosa Mexicano — Chelsea, NYC, and other cities. You could go to the original up near Lincoln Center, but honestly, the one down low has a better scene. Pomegranate margaritas, guacamole made tableside. It's totally enough to fill you up.

19. Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House — North Miami Beach. We hope their cheese Danish is in our heaven. If you can eat a whole one and walk, please call us.

20. Waffle House — anywhere in the South. Because sometimes scattered, smothered and covered is all you need to heal the pain. We think you know what we're talking about.

21. Antlers — Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Stuffed game from all over the world grace this eatery, a scene right out of Twin Peaks. Yes, they have a 7-foot polar bear. Asbsolutely. Not the easiest place to get to, but nothing else like this in the world. Really. Weird, wacky stuff.

— Andrea Billups, The Washington Times