Special Occasion Restaurants

Special Occasion Restaurants

In society today, eating out is the norm. In fact, the average American eats out five times during the week. If you're dining out regularly it can become difficult to find a good restaurant when a special occations, such as Valentines Day, Anniveraries, birthdays, etc, come up. This is a list of my top 10 special occation restaurants that can be found in various cities across the US. I've eaten at almost all of them and the ones that I haven't are on the top of my to-do eating list for sure!

Sea food Trulucks

If you love seafood, I'd recommend Trulucks for a special occasion. One of their specialties is the Florida stone crab.

 At Trulucks they serve fresh stone crab caught daily from their fisheries in Florida. It comes from the traps to your table in less than 24 hours.

 I took my husband here for his birthday a few years ago. When I reserved our table I mentioned that it was his birthday. To both of our surprise (of course I played it off like I planned it) our waiter brought over a birthday card signed by the staff and some delicious chocolate truffles at the end of the meal. The service was excellent. 

My husband had the stone crab claws and loved them.

 I am not a seafood person however. Another great aspect about this restaurant is their steaks! I had steak fillet with a delicious mushroom sauce and parmesan mashed potatoes. It was one of the best steaks I've had! Trulucks has locations in TX, FL, and CAMcCormick and Schmicks.

This is a restaurant that I've never been to personally, but I've heard nothing but good things about it. 

This seafood restaurant actually prints their menu twice daily in order to provide the freshest catch. McCormick and Schmicks offers their guests dozens of seafood varieties at the peak of their seasons, including Alaska Halibut, Northwest Salmon, Hawaiian Mahi Mahi, Oregon Petrale Sole and a large selection of oysters from the U.S. and Canada, just to name a few.

 Their staff also takes orders from memory. That's pretty impressive! They also serve aged steaks, pasta, and poultry. There are more than 80 of these restaurants across the country.

SteakRuth's Chris Steak House- 

This restaurant was founded by Ruth Fertel in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1965. You can read her inspiring story on their website. The steaks are aged for tenderness and are topped with a little butter. This makes them sizzle all the way to your table. This is yet another restaurant that I have always wanted to go to but haven't yet. Steak is my absolute favorite, I am a Texan after all. Everyone I've talked to that has been there raves about how awesome the steak is. 

There are locations just about everywhere in the US as well as several international locations in Puerto Rico, Aruba, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Untied Arab Emirates.Flemming's Prime Steakhouse - Fleming's serves the finest USDA Prime beef: corn-fed, aged up to four weeks. They broil their steaks at 1600 degrees to seal in all the juices and flavor. All the steaks are seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper. They finish each one with a touch of butter and freshly chopped parsley. 

Mmmmmm... I'm really wanting some steak y'all. While Ruth's Chris is a franchise, Flemming's is a chain. Their menu is over seen by Corporate Executive Chef Russell Skall. They also serve burgers and seafood. Locations for this restaurant are also all across the US.ChurrascariasFogo De Chao - If you haven't been to a Churrascaria you are missing out my friends. 

Churrascarias were brought to the US from Brazil. Traditional gauchos serve 15 cuts of fire roated meats at your table. They also have a huge, yummy gourmet salad and sides bar. There are over 30 items including fresh cut vegetables, imported cheeses, cured meats and Brazilian side dishes. The side dishes are traditional Brazilian dishes, including: pão de queijo (my fav! It's warm cheese bread!), crispy hot polenta, garlic mashed potatoes and caramelized bananas. They have locations in AZ, CA, TX, MN, CO, MO, IL, IN, GA, PA, MD, D.C., and FL.Texas de Brazil - This is another Churrascaria. 

My husband and I tried to eat here when we were younger and not very bright. We didn't make a reservation and when we found out the wait was over two hours, we decided the little Mexican food restaurant across the street looked pretty good. The slight difference between these two restaurants is that Texas de Brazil boasts a salad and side bar of 50 - 60 items. Hmmmm... maybe I should have waited! They have locations in TX, NV, CO, LA, IL, LA, TN, VA, and FL.

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HibachiBenihana -If you haven't been to a Hibachi the first thing you need to know about is the teppanyaki table. Guests gather around and watch the meal expertly prepared and cooked on a steel grill, right before their eyes. The chefs are incredibly entertaining as they throw knifes, throw food, and light things on fire! The meal begins with a Japanese onion soup. This is one of my favorite soups ever! The soup is then followed by a salad with really good ginger dressing. The chef prepares your chicken, beef, or seafood, along with vegetables, hibachi-style on the sizzling grill surface. The entrée is served with a couple homemade dipping sauces and steamed rice or, for a small upgrade, Hibachi chicken rice. So good! They also offer tempura, sushi and specialty rolls. This is one of my favorite restaurant styles. They have several locations across the US, Latin America and the Caribbean.

you can also find many other hibachi style restaurants locally.

ItalianBuca di Beppo -Buca di Beppo is an authentic Italian restaurant chain that also has restaurants across the map.  In the spirit of Italian culture,their dishes are served family style and are meant to be shared.  They continue to create new recipes beyond the traditional style and often addnew menu items inspired by Northern and Southern Italian cuisine. 

They serve delicios appetizers, salads, pastas, pizzas, entrees, and desserts.  For special occasions like Valentine's Day you need to make your reservations for this restaurant.  Yet another hard lesson learned.Carraba's Italian Grill - From the fresh mussels grown off the coast of Prince Edward Island, to the Borges extra virgin olive oil imported from Catelonia, Spain, to Garafolo pasta imported from a small town outside Pompeii. 

This place makes everything by hand daily. Even the roasted cinnamon rum pecans on top of the John Cole dessert are made from scratch.  This Italian restaurant was opened by "two big Sicilian boys from Texas who love to cook and eat."  Johnny and Damian Carraba base their restaurant on their rich Italian heritage.  

Now they have expanded across the US.  The menu varies by location.Fondue The Melting Pot - For a really unique dining experience you have to try fondue. 

 The Melting Pot is a franchise that started in Florida and now has locations in 37 states, with more opening soon.  The appetizer includes a selection of cheese fondues that are served with a bowl of three different bread cubes and veggies to dip into the cheesy goodness.  

The main course features cuts of steak, shrimp, lobster and much more.  You also get to choose from a variety of flavors to cook them in.  The entree also includes fresh vegetables to cook in the fondue pot as well.  My favorite part is the dessert!  White, dark, or milk chocolate fondues are served with options for add ins such as crushed cookies, Amaretto, caramel, and more.  

A platter of fruits, cheese cake, brownies, pound cake, and marshmallows accompany the chocolate.  I've been to The Melting Pot a few times.  

My brother-in-law actually manages one of the Texas locations.  The service has always been excellent and the food always fantastic!

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