QotD: I Give It 5 Stars

What's your favorite restaurant?

I'm going to have to cheat on this because I have three, but each for different reasons.  You can call me pedestrian if you want, but for me not dropping a paycheck on a meal is enough of the experience to take five star restaurants out of my lineup.  I've been to some amazing restaurants, like the uber-trendy Mercer Grill in NYC, but if I paid for my meal on my old navy salary I would've been eating on ship everyday thereafter for lack of money.

• Florio's Italian Ristorante, New York City, good Italian food at a great price.  I was in the navy and in New York for fleet week, and my buddies and I were hunting for authentic italian fare in Little Italy.  Walking past Florio's a delightful old man called out to us and started chatting us up about our time in New York.  We asked him about the food and he got so excited talking about it, he started talking in Italian.  We new this was the place.  Our table's wine was on the house and everyone was so friendly, the food delicious.  After eating there's a well-stocked cigar bar with a huge selection of fine smokes.
• Old Spaghetti Factory,  Honolulu, Hawaii, yeah it's a chain, but this one is great.  It's right down from the big theater and all the shops in Hono, and there's a bar you can have drinks at while you're waiting for a table.  Sure beats sitting on a wooden bench outside listening to a loudspeaker.  The staff is very good and they have a fun, friendly attitude.  I recommend the Baked Chicken Greek-Style with Sphagetti and Mizithra cheese.
• Norm's Chicago Dogs, Elizabethtown, KY.  I love this place.  These hot dogs come with massive toppings and are the best, bar none.  The best thing is the owner, he's got this swagger like the 'butcher' from Gangs of New York.  One time I guy picked up a big order of dogs and he looked at them before leaving, and remarked that there wasn't any ketchup on them.  The owner, without batting an eye, said, "That's right.  No ketchup on a chicago dog." and left it at that.  No sorry, sir, you here's some packets of crap to ruin your dogs with or there's some at the end of the counter.  Just that.  "No ketchup on a Chicago dog!"