Impressions of USA
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martyn20
Unwell but still smiling
Quite quick if you go down the I4. Bob Evans is not one of our favourites, we prefer Chilli's, TGI's, or even Olive Garden is a nice dinning experience. The best restaurant we found at Universal is the Nascar Sports Grill on the Studios side of the Boardwalk, lovely pulled pork on toast or in a burger.
Beach Hut
Brighton Bhuna Boy
Planning on Nascar Sports Grill tomorrow night (or tonight if UK).
Last time we were there we watched the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
martyn20
Unwell but still smiling
A lot of people tend to steer clear of the 'Themed' restaurants but some are really good quality and the Nascar grill is one, we are going to Florida again next Easter can't wait.
Beach Hut
Brighton Bhuna Boy
We wanted to go in the NBA restaurant but it was fully booked, NASCAR was really good. Sunday will be brilliant, 2 hours of body surfing on Daytona Beach which in my view is the greatest beach in the world.
martyn20
Unwell but still smiling
That all sounds a little sporty to me, lol. We only go to the coast to visit KSC which we do every time, rest of the time is parks and restaurants. Enjoy the meal later, should be some Olympics on the big screens
Cesar Chavez
Active member
Got to say there are some riduculous comments on this thread -'All American restaurants have the same menu' - really? I would have thought the variety and diversity of dining is equal or surpasses just about anywhere else I can think of. There are some fantastic big city, michelin starred restaurants, great diners, superb local restaurants both rural and urban, serving up local produce and then there is the whole southern BBQ scene, I defy anyone to say that is crap.
And beer is undergoing an enourmous revolution, with craft breweries cropping up the length and breadth of the country.
And you don't exactly have to look hard either, just walk past the chains and explore a little, just like at home if you get bored with 'theme' pubs, West Street and cheap lager.
And beer is undergoing an enourmous revolution, with craft breweries cropping up the length and breadth of the country.
And you don't exactly have to look hard either, just walk past the chains and explore a little, just like at home if you get bored with 'theme' pubs, West Street and cheap lager.
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Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
If you are talking about Cafe Des Amis I'd agree, it's years since I've been there but it used to be run by a Frenchman and I have not had a comparable Mexican meal since and that includes restaurants in Mexico. It really was that good.
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Depends where you go. San Francisco has plenty of veggie restaurants (and veggie options in the other places). It also has a top-notch place called Millennium which is up with Terre-a-Terre in the gourmet restaurant stakes.
New York's not too bad either - couldn't find many veggie restaurants (although I'm sure there are some) but there's masses to eat.
I think you'd struggle in other places (apart from Seattle and Portland). I had difficulty finding places to eat in Boston (which surprised me) and Philadelphia. I think the whole of Nevada is a veggie-free zone and I've not even been to Texas which is meant to be particularly bad for vegetarians. I've spent most of my working life working for US companies and have had to make several trips to the States, it's not something that I ever look forward to as I know it's going to be struggle to find anything to eat (unless I want to live on pizza).
I also have to agree with the earlier comments on public transport. I remember going to a business meeting in the suburbs of Philadelphia and caught the bus. I was the only white person on it and when I got to the meeting and told them I'd come by bus they looked at me as if I'd said I'd flown in on a magic carpet.
johnhammond
Neither John, nor Hammond
Most of the west coast is fine for veggie stuff (again - especially the bigger, laid back cities like Seattle, San Francisco and Portland). The north east was ok in my experience as well. Based on a year living in Oklahoma and travelling around the middle of the country - avoid that unless you're happy just eating jacket potatoes/salad.
And anyone complaining about American beer has clearly never been here and actually investigated that. True - the mass produced Bud/Coors/etc is crap, but the range of delicious microbrews here can't be beat (for taste or style).
Eggman
Well-known member
Damn straight. Most comments seem to be 'Impressions of tourist Florida' not the USA.
I have been to the US 7 or 8 times and have tried some great food in restaurants run by families and local people. Service has always been second to none and have sampled some fantastic beers. Not once have I had to resort to Budweiser or Miller Light
And the Yuengling Porter in Philly!
Maybe I have just been lucky?
willyfantastic
New member
- Mar 1, 2009
- 2,368
As mentioned by somebody else, cafe des amis
It's a bit harsh to say that people complaining about US beer have never been there. I've been there plenty of times and while there are plenty of good microbreweries around, it's not true to say they're widely available. You have to do a lot of searching around.
I'd also say the situation has improved considerably. When I first went (about 15 years ago) craft beer was very thin on the ground, even in NY. When I went last year, I had a choice of bars to drink in.
johnhammond
Neither John, nor Hammond
I must have been living in the NW for too long! I can't think of a bar anywhere nearby that has anything other than microbrews on tap (mostly local, admittedly, but there's stuff from across the country available), and the beer aisle in the supermarkets is probably 90% micro and 10% coors/etc. I'm sure it's not quite so biased in that direction elsewhere though, especially in the states with even weirder alcohol laws than Washington.
Mellor 3 Ward 4
Well-known member
Completley OT, but for anyone wishing to visit Seattle (plus San Juan Islands) and spend three weeks in Washington State plus (hopefully) some of Oregon, what's the best time of year to visit please?
johnhammond
Neither John, nor Hammond
West of the Cascades, it's pretty much always sunny from about mid-July through to mid-September (it might start foggy in the mornings, but is clear by midday). The first week of August is the driest on average, gets up to around 80 usually, sometimes into the 90s. June is always grim, April, May and late September could go either way. The rest of the year is usually grey and drizzley (unless you want to go skiing, then Jan-May is great).
East of the mountains, May-September is nice although it gets above 100 at this time of year, and there's not so much to see in that side of the state (aside from countryside and wineries). It's cold and snowy over there in winter.
Oregon has much the same timings as Washington, just slightly warmer.
The weather in that part of the States is almost identical to here, so probably June to August is best. But, just like here during those months, you never really know how it's going to turn out. You might be lucky, or you might not.
It's a beautiful part of the world though.
Mellor 3 Ward 4
Well-known member
Have got to agree with that.
We spent a few days in Milwaukee last December, and found some superb microbreweries. (One of them had the old bottling plant in it from Lavern and Shirley if anyone remembers that programme)
Oh, and jh - thanks for the reply re the weather in the Pacific North West. We really want to see the Orcas, and I understand that July-September is the best time?
severnside gull
Well-known member
agree with that - especially the craft breweries. We went into a micro brewery pub in Union Square in New York and tried their sampler menu where they bring you small glasses of every beer they do (eight I think it was and mostly proper "flat" ales rather than fizzy pop lager). Got royally pissed on "Indiana Pale Ale!. Wonderful stuff!
The variety of foods is immense on any budget and avoiding the real gut buster artery clogging stuff is easy enough although portion sizes are usually pretty massive - leaving some is as easy as leaving a tip!
10oz sirloin steak with eggs over easy and ranch sauce for breakfast - no need to bother with lunch
