Originally Posted By mele I didn't think the pot pie was nearly as absurdly huge as some of the other entrees. How 'bout that ridiculous chocolate cake slice?!
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 Years ago, I went to the Claim Jumper with a friend and we decided to split the chocolate cake. Seriously, you would need to split it between 10 people to get through it. We each took a bunch home with us, since we did not even make it through a quarter of it, and I ate some the next night and the next and then gave up and threw the rest away. That was the first, last, and only time I ever got sick of chocolate cake.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I don't mind the giant portions at places because I look at it like getting at least two meals for the price of one. You box up what you don't finish, you have lunch or dinner another day. (Or in the case of Claim Jumper, lunch, dinner, lunch, dinner...) ; )
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 OMG, Claim Jumper...forgot about that place. Haven't been to one in at least a decade, but I do remember those monstrous portions. WAY too much food for one person to eat. I always felt a little ashamed at having so much food. I took it home, of course, but still...excess. That's one reason I hate eating at Diners too, because their portions are just too large. No wonder America has such a weight control problem. I try to eat moderately, and since I've started going to the gym, I've shed my extra weight, so now I have to make sure to keep it off. The diner portions don't help... Back on the Olive Garden topic. Here in NYC, they have a big one in Times Square, and a couple blocks down, there is a big Red Lobster. I swear, the area is turning into chain restaurant central... Anyway, I have a friend who is a foodie, and kind of a snob (but a very nice guy). He was working in the area and when tourists would ask him where the Olive Garden was, he refused to tell them. Instead he gave them directions to local mom & pop places that had better food and better prices. Sometimes the people would get mad at him, but then he told me that several times those same people came back to him later and thanked him profusely, because they took his advice and had a great meal. I can relate to his position. When I travel somewhere, I will eat at local spots. Why eat at some chain that I can get at home? It baffles me that people visiting NYC or any other big tourist destination would just be content to eat and shop at the same stores and restaurants they can find at their local mall...why bother?
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Exactly. The one thing OG or RL has going for it is familiarity. You know what you're going to get. That's big for a lot of people. I live in Brooklyn, and in a pretty Italian neighborhood to boot. The most modest mom and pop Italian joint in my nabe run rings around OG. Yet... I admit I've gone there when in other parts of the country that are, shall we say, not known for Italian food. I knew I wasn't going to get a great meal, but I knew exactly what I was going to get, and it would be okay. Sometimes when away I get more adventurous and find a local place - sometimes it's been wonderful and sometimes it's been awful. Other times I admit I just give in and go to a place like OG precisely because I know what I'm going to get.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer Another advantage of the big chains for those of us on diets is the ready availability of nutritional information. One of the disadvantages to the big chains is knowing the nutritional information of their meals.
Originally Posted By ecdc Dang. I really must just be a snob. I would so rather roll the dice with an unknown local joint. I've been disappointed before, but usually they're so much better than the chains. I also use Yelp and Trip Advisor to find well-rated restaurants wherever I'm at beforehand. Perhaps the OG food isn't that bad and I've just conditioned myself to hate it. Nah...I'm definitely right
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 I'll always support the locally owned establishments when given the chance.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Me, too. Unfortunately, in my area, it's largely chain restaurants. Other than a few places in town, to go "local" I have to drive 10 miles out of town. : p
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>I live in Brooklyn, and in a pretty Italian neighborhood to boot.<< I wonder how authentic even that food is. The reason I wonder, is that I have never found an authentic Mexican place in the USA, never, not even the ones run by Mexicans. Part of the problem is the ingredients. In my experience it (Mexican food) just doesn't taste the same here.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 All I know is that Mexican food doesn't taste like Taco Bell, Qdoba or Chipotle. The place I, my family and friends frequent is run by Mexican-Americans, the owner is a trained chef and always puts something a little new on the menu. The food is always great, the service is always great, the owner will always come to your table when he's working and since we've been going for ten plus years he'll talk to us for quite sometime. And the margaritas, well just make sure you have a designated driver.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>And the margaritas, well just make sure you have a designated driver.<< Ah...sounds like my beloved Red Iguana. Their moles...oh dear god. No idea if it's really "authentic," but it ain't Taco Hell and it tastes so so good. <a href="http://rediguana.com/home.html" target="_blank">http://rediguana.com/home.html</a>
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 My place is called Botanas, I can't really pick my favorite dish because it's all really really damn good.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 >>I live in Brooklyn, and in a pretty Italian neighborhood to boot.<< <I wonder how authentic even that food is. > It runs the gamut, but some is very much so. And others are authentic Italian-Brooklyn, which is indeed different, but that doesn't mean it isn't great.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 One thing I'm glad that hasn't gone national are Irish Pubs, there's at least 15 here which doesn't even touch New York or Chicago, but I've never been disappointed with a meal at these establishments. And little fyi, Guiness while it looks like you're drinking a loaf of bread, is actually very low in calories.
