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My American food experience!


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Old 22-04-2012, 11:41
fluffsta007
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I made a thread a few weeks ago asking for peoples ratings on American fast food in the thread below..

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showt...1642737&page=2

Well I have returned to these shores and I managed to get a lot of fast food down my gut Generally the food is cheaper better and a much bigger range than in the UK!

I did the following..

Dennys - Decent food and very cheap! There seems to be a Dennys almost everywhere in the USA! Had a few breakfast skillets. Very nice. Also had rasberry lemonade which was refreshing.
http://www.dennys.com/


Mcdonalds - Much better menu than we have in the UK! I found it amazing that you can buy a ⅔ pounder over a ¼ pounder! Most burgers were Angus. A normal sized drink in the UK is a small over there.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/full_menu_explorer.html



Wendys - Did a Baconator and a Daves Hot N Juicy, both nice and the burgers were juicy! Not as nice as I expected but my hopes were mega high for Wendys. I liked the chilli chicken nuggets. Really cheap on price.
http://www.wendys.com/



Chilis - Best burger of my holiday. Had a massive burger there and also enjoyed the fries. The bacon they use on the burgers is thick cut and lovely. The service was amazing.
http://www.chilis.com/EN/Pages/home.aspx



Hooters - Poorest meal of the holiday. Burger was substantial and fries were awful (over done and too skinny) Service was ok though
http://www.hooters.com/home.aspx



Shortys BBQ (Miami) - Had my first American meal here and underestimated how big a big meal could be. Had BBQ Pulled Pork with Coleslaw and fries. Even though the BBQ Pulled Pork was very nice it was also very filling and heavy which didn't help when I was served a massive portion of it! Didn't realise Americans take food home with them till then! Nice but way too heavy.
http://www.shortys.com/



Flanigans - Great service followed by a lovely New York Strip Steak with Broccoli. Great price and nice food. Very nice beer on draught. They do lots of steaks and ribs.
http://flanigans.net/



Tony Romas - Amazing simply amazing! Best food I have eaten in a long while at a restaurant. I was so impressed the first time I went I kept going back. Great attentive service. Had the Filet Mingion medium rare and it was up there with others I have had. The sauces used were beautiful. They do a cheese and onion mashed potato which tasted better than it sounds! Ribs were divine and tasted so great you could taste the marinade on the bones. Love the fact that you get a french loaf and garlic butter with all meals. Menu was massive. Steaks, Shrimp and Ribs and lots more.
http://www.tonyromas.com/menu


Never did..

Arbys
KFC
Burger King
Popeyes (heard from locals best chicken)
Taco Bell (WTF? Only saw ONE Taco Bell!)
Red Lobster (My mate hates fish food)
Pollo Tropical (smelt nice as I walked past)
Checkers (again smelt nice but not hungey at the time)


All in all a better fast food experience than the UK!
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Old 22-04-2012, 12:23
Rab64
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Did you have any meals in Proper Restuarants ?
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Old 22-04-2012, 12:46
whoever,hey
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Did you only eat fast food then? Its not all America has to offer. Its like coming to the England and just eating fish and chips.
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Old 22-04-2012, 15:05
orangebird
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I made a thread a few weeks ago asking for peoples ratings on American fast food in the thread below..

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showt...1642737&page=2

Well I have returned to these shores and I managed to get a lot of fast food down my gut Generally the food is cheaper better and a much bigger range than in the UK!

I did the following..

Dennys - Decent food and very cheap! There seems to be a Dennys almost everywhere in the USA! Had a few breakfast skillets. Very nice. Also had rasberry lemonade which was refreshing.
http://www.dennys.com/


Mcdonalds - Much better menu than we have in the UK! I found it amazing that you can buy a ⅔ pounder over a ¼ pounder! Most burgers were Angus. A normal sized drink in the UK is a small over there.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/full_menu_explorer.html



Wendys - Did a Baconator and a Daves Hot N Juicy, both nice and the burgers were juicy! Not as nice as I expected but my hopes were mega high for Wendys. I liked the chilli chicken nuggets. Really cheap on price.
http://www.wendys.com/



Chilis - Best burger of my holiday. Had a massive burger there and also enjoyed the fries. The bacon they use on the burgers is thick cut and lovely. The service was amazing.
http://www.chilis.com/EN/Pages/home.aspx



Hooters - Poorest meal of the holiday. Burger was substantial and fries were awful (over done and too skinny) Service was ok though
http://www.hooters.com/home.aspx



Shortys BBQ (Miami) - Had my first American meal here and underestimated how big a big meal could be. Had BBQ Pulled Pork with Coleslaw and fries. Even though the BBQ Pulled Pork was very nice it was also very filling and heavy which didn't help when I was served a massive portion of it! Didn't realise Americans take food home with them till then! Nice but way too heavy.
http://www.shortys.com/



Flanigans - Great service followed by a lovely New York Strip Steak with Broccoli. Great price and nice food. Very nice beer on draught. They do lots of steaks and ribs.
http://flanigans.net/



Tony Romas - Amazing simply amazing! Best food I have eaten in a long while at a restaurant. I was so impressed the first time I went I kept going back. Great attentive service. Had the Filet Mingion medium rare and it was up there with others I have had. The sauces used were beautiful. They do a cheese and onion mashed potato which tasted better than it sounds! Ribs were divine and tasted so great you could taste the marinade on the bones. Love the fact that you get a french loaf and garlic butter with all meals. Menu was massive. Steaks, Shrimp and Ribs and lots more.
http://www.tonyromas.com/menu


Never did..

Arbys
KFC
Burger King
Popeyes (heard from locals best chicken)
Taco Bell (WTF? Only saw ONE Taco Bell!)
Red Lobster (My mate hates fish food)
Pollo Tropical (smelt nice as I walked past)
Checkers (again smelt nice but not hungey at the time)


All in all a better fast food experience than the UK!
BIB - lol!!! I don't care for it either. A bit flaky and smelly for my tastes
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Old 22-04-2012, 15:13
Phyllis Stein
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How many lbs did you pile on?
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Old 22-04-2012, 15:18
indianwells
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Did you only eat fast food then? Its not all America has to offer. Its like coming to the England and just eating fish and chips.
To be fair i'd not call Tony Roma's exactly fast food.
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Old 22-04-2012, 15:19
myss
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Generally the food is cheaper better and a much bigger range than in the UK!
I have a feeling no-one or at least not many people will be surprised by this. Programmes like 'Supersized v. Superskinny' or 'Man v. Food' show this too.
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Old 22-04-2012, 15:36
SHAFT
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I don't mean to sound rude but it sounds like a bit of a wasted opportunity. Going on holiday to the US and eating in ****holes like McD's and Hooters is madness.
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Old 22-04-2012, 16:39
indianwells
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I don't mean to sound rude but it sounds like a bit of a wasted opportunity. Going on holiday to the US and eating in ****holes like McD's and Hooters is madness.
Hooters especially. Although the waitresses are, how shall I put this, above average? To be fair to the OP they had no way of knowing what these places were like, McD's excepted of course.
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Old 22-04-2012, 16:46
whoever,hey
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I hadn't heard of Tony Romas before, sounds quite good tbh. Might grab my parents to visit .

Hooters especially. Although the waitresses are, how shall I put this, above average? To be fair to the OP they had no way of knowing what these places were like, McD's excepted of course.
They did post a thread with the same establishments on before they left though.
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Old 22-04-2012, 17:46
Paul1511
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I don't mean to sound rude but it sounds like a bit of a wasted opportunity. Going on holiday to the US and eating in ****holes like McD's and Hooters is madness.
Not entirely fair. Assuming a 2 week stay, 3 meals a day, that's 42 meals to cater for.

I doubt it's feasible to go to a 'proper' restaurant 42 times - having a fast food burger 3-4 times interspersed with sit down places like Roma's doesn't seem particularly abnormal.
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Old 22-04-2012, 18:32
SHAFT
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Not entirely fair. Assuming a 2 week stay, 3 meals a day, that's 42 meals to cater for.

I doubt it's feasible to go to a 'proper' restaurant 42 times - having a fast food burger 3-4 times interspersed with sit down places like Roma's doesn't seem particularly abnormal.
Every city the states I've been to had cheap diners that served great food. You'd never have to eat in a fast food chain during a two week stay.
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Old 22-04-2012, 18:38
Paul1511
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Every city the states I've been to had cheap diners that served great food. You'd never have to eat in a fast food chain during a two week stay.
I'm not disputing that at all, but I still don't think the odd visit to a fast food chain equates to wasted opportunities.

You wouldn't want to restrict yourself to cheap diner food any more than you would want to restrict yourself to fast food chains.

All I'm saying is you can strike a balance without feeling you are wasting opportunities.
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Old 22-04-2012, 18:57
Utopian Girl
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Did you visit any vegetarian places or note their offerings?
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Old 22-04-2012, 19:23
whoever,hey
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You wouldn't want to restrict yourself to cheap diner food any more than you would want to restrict yourself to fast food chains.
Oh totally. If you went to a fast food place on holiday anywhere in the world it should be the USA! I love food, and would go for as round an experience as possible, experiencing different things.

I certainly wouldn't miss out fast food!
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Old 23-04-2012, 01:45
Iggy's Boy
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Oh my god! Tony Romas! That brings back memories. Absolutely amazing rib place! You gotta go there and try the ONION LOAF! It's to die for. Imagine, if you will, a loaf-shaped object constructed from fried onion rings that you slice up and eat. It's difficult to describe what it's like exactly and why it's so good but I've never forgotten it!

Nothing wrong with sampling the fast food joints of America, but I would concur that the country has much more to offer.

As a greedy guts myself though, I appreciate the way they do things in the USA. MASSIVE portions, loads of MEAT and the approval of you taking the rest of your uneaten meal home with you!
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Old 23-04-2012, 08:07
fluffsta007
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My experience wasn't JUST fast food but it made up a lot of what I was eating.

I only put on around 2-3 pound over a two week period but I also did a lot of walking, one day I must have walked 10 miles at least and another time I walked 7 miles back to my hotel after a bus service stopped in Miami at 9.30pm.

I have seen the onion loaf in pics! It looks lovely!

There is a Tony Romas in London. Next time I am down that way I will be calling in!
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Old 23-04-2012, 08:33
indianwells
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My experience wasn't JUST fast food but it made up a lot of what I was eating.

I only put on around 2-3 pound over a two week period but I also did a lot of walking, one day I must have walked 10 miles at least and another time I walked 7 miles back to my hotel after a bus service stopped in Miami at 9.30pm.

I have seen the onion loaf in pics! It looks lovely!

There is a Tony Romas in London. Next time I am down that way I will be calling in!
Doing that in Miami after dark makes you either very brave or a bit stupid. No offence but that is highly dangerous.
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Old 23-04-2012, 09:09
fluffsta007
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Doing that in Miami after dark makes you either very brave or a bit stupid. No offence but that is highly dangerous.
As I have been told many times since!
I had no worries at all. I even walked through areas like Little Havana and Overtown laste at night and had no bother at all. Infact I would go as far as saying I felt more at threat when I got home to Coventry!
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Old 23-04-2012, 09:28
big_hard_lad
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Surprised at the love for Tony Roma's. We have one in Belfast and it's absolute dung....it's like they reheat everything in the microwave and charge a fortune for it. For that reason I've always avoided it when I'm in the US.

I note that you stayed for 2 weeks OP, so despite it looking like you didn't eat anything other than fast food, I'm sure you did. Can you give us any reviews on the other places you have eaten?
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Old 23-04-2012, 09:42
fluffsta007
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Just general room service from Marriott! In the mornings I would take a trip down to the restaurant and tell a member of staff that I was on the go and would it be ok if I 'grab' a few items. They would bring back a bag and I would then start loading up on yoghurts, fruit, juices, croissants and even stuff I could microwave later as we had a microwave and fridge in the room. They even did sasauge bacon cheese and egg muffins so I even took 8 one day

I would grab a salad on the go here and there from places. Before I went to the States I was on week 14 of a diet and I lost lots of weight so the little food tour of America was a reward I gave myself! I dropped from a 36" waist to a 32" before America and a 32" before I went was slightly loose but now its getting tight again I restart my diet next week.
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Old 23-04-2012, 10:56
Gooby
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Quite a few of the places listed are really chain restaurants rather than fast food joints. Even Hooters isn't really fast food as most of the food is cooked to order.

I thought the food was good in Hooters when I tried it. Their buffalo wings were delicious and they serve Guinness which is a plus.

Independent diners/restaurants can be great but can easily be horrible too. I have very bad memories of independents as much as some of the chain ones.
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Old 24-04-2012, 11:24
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I would grab a salad on the go here and there from places. Before I went to the States I was on week 14 of a diet and I lost lots of weight so the little food tour of America was a reward I gave myself! I dropped from a 36" waist to a 32" before America and a 32" before I went was slightly loose but now its getting tight again I restart my diet next week.[/quote]

Well done on the weight loss.
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Old 24-04-2012, 11:31
andallthatjazz
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You sound like the guy from Man vs Food, well that's how I pictured you anyway with your fast food adventure.

Surely time for a detox.
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Old 24-04-2012, 13:27
Menk
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We've just visited Florida too, but the only place we ate at from your list was Tony Roma's, which I agree was very good. The only fast food we ate was BK and it was ok I suppose.

I was expecting a better food experience after hearing so many good things, but I was left a little underwhelmed to be honest. We had a good meal at the Cheesecake Factory, Seasons 52, the Chinese restaurant in Epcot, and Jiko on the Animal Kingdom resort. We had better than average at Cracker Barrell, Bahama Breeze, Sweet Tomatoes and Planet Hollywood, and some decent breakfasts (Ihop, Bob Evans). But we had as much average and below average food in places such as Red Lobster, Bubba Gumps in Universal, Perkins, and Golden Coral which was surprising, as I was expecting it to be a bit of a foodie holiday.

You are over-faced with food, the vegetable content is very small (which is one of the reasons we appreciated Seasons 52 as it has a health-conscious menu) and many places are heavy handed with some type of margarine, when the use of butter would have made it so much better. Dishes were often over-salted and I may be wrong, but i think a lot of places use packet mixes rather than cooking from scratch, which may be one reason why some things were too salty.

We went to Florida for 3 and a half weeks, so we got to try a lot of food, but having lost weight before we went, and not wanting to pile it all back on again, I told myself that I was allowed to order what I liked and eat as much as I wanted as long as it was worth the calories. Very often, I left a huge pile of only average chips on the plate, picked at a non-descript pancake, made hardly a dent in a huge plate of indeterminate fried seafood and put on no weight throughout the holiday - which was the upside!
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