The Duke's Deserves Your Vote!

[Ulysses G.]

I keep having lousy dinners at different restaurants and I always find myself thinking how much cheaper and better the food is at the Duke's. We really are lucky to have them in Chiang Mai.

The Miele Guide is having a public voting for the best restaurants in Asia. The Duke's deserves to be a winner. Public voting for The Miele Guide 2009/2010 edition has opened and will last until 24 May 2009. Cast your votes for The Duke's at WWW.MIELEGUIDE.COM. Every vote makes a difference. To thank you for your participation, the guide is offering each voter the chance to win one of three exclusive sets of Zwiesel 1872 crytal glassware (each with a value of up to US$2,100). By the way, you have to write in The Duke's. Show Dave we appreciate his efforts.

Edited May 2, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[Jingthing]

Only ate there once, but they are worthy! I had a very positive experience there. I don't live there, but you are lucky to have Dukes (I tried the original location).

[Scrubber]

I keep having lousy dinners at different restaurants and I always find myself thinking how much cheaper and better the food is at the Duke's. We really are lucky to have them in Chiang Mai.

The Miele Guide is having a public voting for the best restaurants in Asia. The Duke's deserves to be a winner. Public voting for The Miele Guide 2009/2010 edition has opened and will last until 24 May 2009. Cast your votes for The Duke's at www.mieleguild.com. Every vote makes a difference. To thank you for your participation, the guide is offering each voter the chance to win one of three exclusive sets of Zwiesel 1872 crytal glassware (each with a value of up to US$2,100). By the way, you have to write in The Duke's. Show Dave we appreciate his efforts.

Well said - I agree entirely UG.

Edited May 2, 2009 by Scrubber

[Rasseru]

Nice edit, UG. I tried once with the wrongly-cited web site, came back to correct you, and found you had already fixed it.

[chiangmaioldhand]

Great idea. We should all support the forum sponsors. They've got my vote.

[Ulysses G.]

Registering and voting takes a few minutes, but is not too difficult. You can just vote for one place or up to ten if you want.

[Ulysses G.]

Great idea. We should all support the forum sponsors. They've got my vote.

Some of these restauarants have contributed good amounts of food to the annual Thai Visa party. The Duke's has brought a bunch of pizzas around more than once. There is more than one way to show one's appreciation for being mentioned here.

[sceadugenga]

Site seems to be down.

[Ajarn]

Site seems to be down.

It seems to have been down since at least this morning, when I clicked the link from an email.

But I agree with UG, I feel the best, most consistently prepared food in Chiang Mai is at The Dukes

Edited May 2, 2009 by Ajarn

[Texpat]

Only had one Dukes experience. It was positive.

[gpdjohn]

Yep, the food is good and the service is....

well, seems to have slipped the other day.

I was quite surprised on how bad the service was. I wanted to grab the short guy from San Diego and discuss my displeasure, but didn't see him.

It was TERRIBLE!!!!

I have eaten there several times before and have drooled for the ribs, kinda like "jones-in" for some, even had my turkey day there.

Oh, of course I will go back, but something was asque on Thursday.

We all have a bad day once in awhile.

[drivel]

Bookman, you and the others who agree that Dukes is one of the best 300 restaurants in Asia are completely touched. You cannot be serious?

The Miele Guide is for fine restaurants cooking exceptional food and while the Dukes is good honest American fare that is a much appreciated taste of home for people living in Chiang Mai it would be an average restaurant in any American city. It is not even in the top 20 of restaurants in Chiang Mai to say it is one of the best restaurants in Asia is laughable.

Did Dave do promise you a lifetimes supply of potato wedges and pumpkin pie if you could get him in the guide?

[jackr]

Been about a dozen times and never had a bad meal, nor have the other diners I've been with. Food, portions, service and prices have always been excellent at the Dukes, even down to the kids menu. However, I hope they don't win for fear that they may get an urge to ride on it and double their prices

The ribs, lasagne, burgers, fish, salads, cakes are all superb, but tried the Chicken Fried Chicken the other day with the blue cheese sauce on the side salad and it was bloody amazing! From the tender, succulent chook to the fluffy mash, the delicate side salad, and the fresh focaccia... all for 185 baht. Yum yum. Darn, made myself hungry now... I shall have a beer to take my mind off it.

[Maccheroncini]

You mean cheaper than before? or you're just sayin it's already cheaper and better.  Been there several times with 2-3 of us family, the bill never shows less than 1,000 baht for lunch and I only had a burger.

cheaper and better

[drivel]

Still laughing UG so much that I have drawn up a list of my favorite 20 restaurants in town. They are more or less in order but it is hard to grade them exactly. I think all are better than the Dukes but would be interested to know where you fit the Dukes in on my list which I hope you like.

1. Le Grand Lanna

2. Jia Thong Heng

3. Le Coq D’Or

4. Chedi

5. Fujian

6. The House

7. Sala Mae Rim

8. Mi Casa

9. Da Naga

10. Baan Tazala

11. Huen Phen

12. Le Crystal

13. Kantary Hills

14. Khun Nai Der Sai

15. La Gritta

16. Im Pla Phao

17. Akaligo

18. Paladd Tawanron

19. Kitchen Hush

20. Aroon Rai

Incidentally it is not that I dislike the Dukes I have eaten there over a dozen times in two years. On one occasion I had a serious complaint about a steak and there were minor issues another two times but for an American style feed it is good on the whole but 'best restaurant' material. Give me a break.

[Ulysses G.]

Bookman, you and the others who agree that Dukes is one of the best 300 restaurants in Asia are completely touched. You cannot be serious?

The Miele Guide is for fine restaurants cooking exceptional food

Let me be as honest as possible, we are talking about foreign restaurants in THAILAND. I would agree that there are very few places that would measure up to fine restaurants in Paris, London, Rome, San Francisco or New York, but we are in the middle of South East Asia and in Thailand there are almost no foreign restaurants of the high quality found in these Western cities and that includes Bangkok.

The restaurants in Chiang Mai that are already listed on the Miele Guide are - in my opinion - not nearly up to the Duke's standards and much more expensive. They are nicely decorated, but the food is mostly pretentious, rather than tasty, and they are expensive to boot. When I hear someone praising them, I always feel that either the Lord did not bestow them with adequate taste buds, or they have never been to a good restaurant and are easily impressed by nice surroundings and a pleasant atmosphere. Those things are important, but not as important as delicious food.

I don't enjoy every meal at the Duke's. To be frank, I don't enjoy every meal at any place I've ever been in these parts, but the Duke's is the most consistent when it comes to good taste, good portions and rectifying any mistakes by the kitchen or staff.

The Duke's would be an adequate restaurant anywhere and when you consider all of the problems that a Chef here has with expensive, imported ingredients, the low quality of many local ingredients, and a staff that does not know or understand Western food, I would rate it as excellent for this part of the world.

The Duke's certainly DOES deserve to win a spot in the Miele Guide.

Edited May 2, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[Rasseru]

I enjoy and admire The Duke's very much, and I would place it well above some of drivel's favourite twenty restaurants in Chiangmai, but drivel is quite right, it is laughable to suggest that The Duke's belongs on a list of the top twenty restaurants in Asia.

[Rasseru]

. . . we are talking about foreign restaurants in THAILAND. . .

There is a disconnect here. I have not gone back to check again, but I could swear that when I went on the Miele Guide site, it referred to the top twenty restaurants in Asia.

[drivel]

To be fair UG is saying the Dukes is in the best 300 in Asia not the top 20 but honestly there are 300 better restaurants in Tokyo alone than the Dukes and Hong Kong and Singapore.

For the style of food the Dukes deserves a mention in a regional restaurant guide to Thailand and a good spot in a guide to Chiang Mai but Asiawide.

[Ulysses G.]

I was talking about Thailand specifically, and no, I do not think that it deserves to be in the top 20 restaurants in the whole country, but I think that it deserves to be listed as one of the best in Chiang Mai.

I find that these guides tend to pick a few restaurants from each city, rather than only picking places from Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore (which is probably what they should do, if they were being completely honest).

Edited May 2, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[drivel]

Well thats true. So if 5 restaurants were to represent Chiang Mai cuisine what would they be? And everyone can join in here lets have some lists

[Ulysses G.]

Is it fair to list Thai food seperately from other cuisines? Of course, Thailand has lots of great Thai food.

[drivel]

No that would be manipulating the list. 5 restaurants in total

[WinnieTheKhwai]

20. Aroon Rai

wot?!

Are you serious?

I thought huan Pen was aleady iffy to have in there, but Aroon Rai?!

Also The House went down a lot over the past 2 years. And I'm not sure about Jia Tong Heng as well; no argument about Fujian though.

[Bill97]

Duke's one the best restaurants in Asia? You need to get out more UG.

[Ulysses G.]

I find this difficult, because I have found so few foreign restaurants worth getting excited about in Chiang Mai. I will admit that, I have not bothered with trying the very expensive restaurants in some of the 5 star resorts (like the Oriental), partially because I'm afraid that I will be disappointed and out of a lot of money and partially because they are so out of the way on a bicycle and I hate taking Tuk Tuks.

Thai cuisine is one of my least favorite cuisines, so mostly I eat at places like Aroon Rai or various vegetarian venues that I would doubt would be on many people's "best-of" lists, so I do not want to suggest any of them.

The Duke's is one of my all around favorites, but many of the Italian owned restaurants are perhaps equally good. I would probably guess that Sergio's Bulisimo is one of the best, along with Giorgio's, but I enjoy Stefano's places and actually almost every Italian owned restaurant in town is quite good.

I love Japanese food and don't know the names of several of my favorites, but Gigantean (spelling), near the original Mike's Burgers, is quite good and pretty authentic, so that would be on my list. I have another favorite Japanese place, but someone on Thai Visa PMed me the name and swore me to secrecy.

I have not tried every restaurant on drivel's list, but I have tried most of the one's that are on the Miele Guide list and I was disappointed for reasons that I have stated already. I did not bother with some on his list, because friends whose taste I usually agree with warned me away from them, but I am interested in a few of of them, including Kitchen Hush.

The restaurants in Chiang Mai that are already listed on the Miele Guide are - in my opinion - not nearly up to the Duke's standards and much more expensive. They are nicely decorated, but the food is mostly pretentious, rather than tasty, and they are expensive to boot. When I hear someone praising them, I always feel that either the Lord did not bestow them with adequate taste buds, or they have never been to a good restaurant and are easily impressed by nice surroundings and a pleasant atmosphere. Those things are important, but not as important as delicious food.

Edited May 2, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[Ulysses G.]

Duke's one the best restaurants in Asia? You need to get out more UG.

I think we have clarified that I am only talking about Chiang Mai.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I have another favorite Japanese place, but someone on Thai Visa PMed me the name and swore me to secrecy.

LOL, I think that's *SO* cute, when people want to keep places virgin and to themselves.

All they're achieving though is stifling word of mouth, meaning the place will probably just disappear.

[getgoin]

When talking about ambiance, The Duke's is not up to the white table cloth, napkin, many hurried waiters about. But what are we talking about when it comes to the best restaurants? Food.

I have had the best tacos at a small ocean side run down hotel in southern Mexico. Food is food and many restaurant forget that. Is it better because you give a smaller portion with a better presentation? I am beyond that.

To me the best restaurants are about the food. Not the portion size but how it is made.

Almost 100% of the restaurants on these lists are about ambiance. Throw a table cloth around and give a cloth napkin, raise the price and put a single lima bean on the top of every dish, that is what this list is about.

We are talking about real food here. Diablos and Miguels should be in the list. Great food made with good ingredients.

Are we not talking about good food? I will excuse myself and talk about how pretty a restaurant is. Maybe that is waht this list should be called.

[john b good]

Still laughing UG so much that I have drawn up a list of my favorite 20 restaurants in town. They are more or less in order but it is hard to grade them exactly. I think all are better than the Dukes but would be interested to know where you fit the Dukes in on my list which I hope you like.

1. Le Grand Lanna

2. Jia Thong Heng

3. Le Coq D’Or

4. Chedi

5. Fujian

6. The House

7. Sala Mae Rim

8. Mi Casa

9. Da Naga

10. Baan Tazala

11. Huen Phen

12. Le Crystal

13. Kantary Hills

14. Khun Nai Der Sai

15. La Gritta

16. Im Pla Phao

17. Akaligo

18. Paladd Tawanron

19. Kitchen Hush

20. Aroon Rai

Incidentally it is not that I dislike the Dukes I have eaten there over a dozen times in two years. On one occasion I had a serious complaint about a steak and there were minor issues another two times but for an American style feed it is good on the whole but 'best restaurant' material. Give me a break.

I think that someone is having a bit of a wank here.

Chedi @ 8,888 ++ for dinner at new year would need to be real super <deleted> good. More than Baht 10,000.00 per person for a meal in a 4th world country (if they are lucky) "who is pulling who's dick here.

And the you have "Le Coq D’Or who must come 2nd on the list of scam artists in Chiang Mai (insofar as supposed food is concerned) All the bullshyt about getting picked up in a immo and the rest of the crap, troufles etc., etc., "give us a break fer fcuks sake)

You gotta remember that down town Chiang Mai is not "downtown Parie"

I have partaken at "The Dukes" and would agree that it is 500% more value than these supposed places at 5 - 10 thousand baht.

Why pay pay more than Baht 10,000.00 for a meal that is no more sustaining than one served at "mad dog, pun pun, even the red shirt joint on Loi Koa" unless you are wanting to impress some little lady so that you can slip her knickers down for desert. And then to find that it wasn't all that fresh................

!0,000.00 Baht for a <deleted> medal in a 3rd - 4th world country hick town like Chiang Mai - for fcuks sake you gotta be joking.

OK if yer want to get into her pants go to the rip off places (and you might find that she is not that tasty)

If you have a girl who is down to earth take here to someplace like TB's establisment (just don't let TB too close to her though)

Edited May 2, 2009 by john b good