American Restaurants?

[Pard]

I am curious if other countries have American restaurants?

There is a French restaurant down the street. An Italian restaurant is also down the street. There is a Germany restaurant over in Bantam. There is a Canadian restaurant down by 95. We have an Australian restaurant up by the mall. There are a half dozen Mexican restaurants all over town. There is a Thai restaurant on Main street. There is a sushi bar over in South Windsor. There is a killer Polish restaurant in Vernon. There is an Indian restaurant in East Windsor. There is a Middle-eastern restaurant in Hartford, there is also a Jamaican one there. They have a Hawaiian restaurant on the other side of town.

I could go one, but you guys do not want me to list all the foreign cuisine restaurants within 30 minutes of me...

My point is, in America we have lots and lots of restaurants that cater dishes from various locales. So, do other countries have American restaurants?

I'd love to tell you what an American restaurant is but there are two problems with that:

1) That would be cheating...
2) I do not know what an American restaurant is...

If you are from New England your American restaurant may be a place that serves a good chowder, real lobster (not that silly kind without the claws), Nantucket oysters, and various fishes.

If you are from New York City you may think of it as a killer deli/sandwich shop (or that nasty chowder with the tomatoes!).

If you are from the south you may consider the American restaurant a good quality BBQ, with roast pigs falling off the bone. Little farther south and you may consider the American restaurant a place that serves real gumbo and chitterlings.

Go west and you hit cow country. There you may find they see American cuisine as steak and potato. A little farther north and you will see all sorts of starches and corns on the menu.

The point is American cuisine is HUGE. And I know other countries have a HUGE selection for cuisine as well, but when I go to a French restaurant I know what to expect. And when I go to a Mexican restaurant I know what to expect. And when I go to a Japanese restaurant I know what to expect... So what does one "expect" at an American restaurant?

 

[Caroline H]

Yes, Pard, it's called McDonald's! :rolling

 

[NestForASparrow]

Yes, Pard, it's called McDonald's! :rolling

Which actually look like restaurants in France.

American cooking is just a melting pot of different cuisine or just homestyle cooking. So in other countries, it would be similar but based on their local cuisine.

 

[Pard]

My youth pastor told me when he visits Europe they have American style steak houses. He also said that when his European friends come to America they only eat steak because our steaks far surpass theirs in taste.

 

[handy]

I remeber going to a Pizza place in Ireland. It was nasty, really, truly nasty. At the time, we were thinking we could make big bucks opening a pizza place with real, honest pizza in Dublin. That was over 20 years ago. Perhaps someone has taken pity on the Irish and introduced proper pizza to those poor folks! Chicago deep-dish style, of course, none of that nasty, flat crusted New Yawk stuff! (Though must admit that even New Yawk style pizza would be better than what we had in Dublin!)

Also, whilst there, we went to an Irish friend's house for a "real American back yard bar-b-que". They grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, all quite good. The host and hostess were considerate enough to shop for "real American" things like mustard and ketchsup and they had this relish sauce that said right on the label "America's #1 Brand". The relish sauce tasted exactly like a combination of ketchsup, sweet pickle relish and sugar. It was pretty tasty, but not one of us had ever heard of such a thing before and no one could ever remember seeing anything like that for sale here in the States.

 

[Vic C.]

No pizza for you Dora... one year!

Real Italian-style New York pizza is second only to real Neapolitan pizza. Two very important ingredients make up a good pizza; the water which is in the pizza dough and the sauce and as anyone with half a brain knows, the greatest Italian sauce makers in the US are in NYC.

Plus, NYC is well know for their quality tap water.


:D

 

[handy]

No pizza for you Dora... one year!

Hey, I'm an American...no cruel and unusal punishments! I know my Constitutional Rights!


Unless, of course, you're talking flat New Yawk pizza. Nothing cruel about missing that for a year...or two! :P

 

[Vic C.]

Bah!

You never really had REAL pizza from NYC, have you? If pizza was made to be cooked in a dish, God would have commanded the Neapolitans to make it so. REAL pizza is cooked directly on top on the oven's lower surface, not in some wimpy pan!


Oh yeah, American has no real cuisine to call it's own.

 

[handy]

OK Vic, if we ever get out to NYC, I'll look you up and have you take us out for "REAL" NYC pizza. And, be woman enough to admit I'm wrong, if in fact I am, which I doubt very seriously.


As for real American cuisine, hmmm, there's Buffalo Wings. And Corn Dogs. Oh, and the Ice Cream Sundae.


Ooo, and Lewis would kill us if we left Philly Cheesesteaks off the list. Philly Cheesesteaks are the bomb!

When it comes to food, American ingenuity shines forth, just like it does with anything else. We take what the world has offered so far, and improve upon it. I mean, yeah, Germans invented the sausage, but it took an American to put it on a stick, dip it in corn batter and deep fry that puppy into golden goodness! :yes

 

[Mysteryman]

What maks a great Pizza is the cheese ! to the dairy farmers . :D

 

[Vic C.]

When it comes to food, American ingenuity shines forth, just like it does with anything else. We take what the world has offered so far, and improve upon it. I mean, yeah, Germans invented the sausage, but it took an American to put it on a stick, dip it in corn batter and deep fry that puppy into golden goodness!

Yup, only in America. If I remember correctly, we were the first to put ice cream on a stick too.

Could you just imagine walking into a American-style restaurant, say in Italy, and ordering hot wings from an anemic chicken, a meat byproduct on a stick, dipped in corn meal batter and deep fried in corn oil and for dessert, some ice cream... on a stick! :toofunny :toofunny

... and no, I'm not making fun of you. I've been known to eat that stuff too. :D

 

[handy]

What maks a great Pizza is the cheese ! to the dairy farmers . :D

... and no, I'm not making fun of you. I've been known to eat that stuff too.

Of course you have, Vic! We know! :yes

Now, donuts, the real kind with the hole, are totally American! And, let's admit it people, isn't the world a better place because of donuts!

If I were to open a restaurant in another country and serve American cuisine the menu would be:

Steaks (Black Angus beef) (complete with a baked Idaho potato, of course!)
Ham (from Virginia) (with mashed Idaho potatos, of course!)
Southern Fried Chicken (again with mashed Idaho potatos topped with sausage gravy.)
Buffalo Burgers
Bar-b-que Elk ribs (just pour the Elk and bbq sauce right on those Idaho potatos.)
Corn Dogs
Philly Cheesesteaks
CHICAGO STYLE PIZZA!!!!!!

French Fries
Grilled Corn-on-the-cob
Ceasar's Salad
Cobb Salad
Taco Salad

Krispy Kreme Donuts (might as well give the world the best!)
Hot Fudge Ice Cream Sundae
Boston Cream Pie
Strawberry Shortcake topped with Whipped Cream (yes, the world had strawberries, the world had short cake, and the world had whipped cream, but again, it took an American to put it all together!)
and that most Amercian of all goodies Chocolat Chip Toll House Cookies!

 

[Pard]

The best pizzas are actually not made in NYC or in Chicago, think just a tiny bit east of NYC. Yup, the best pizzas are made in Connecticut.

Now you are going something along the lines of "This kid is bonkers!" or "NYC pizza and CT pizza or the same...". Hear me out. Everyone knows that all the smart people moved out of NYC and into CT. This includes the Italians. They brought their super secret pizza recipes to CT. To get the real pizza experience you need to put on your flak vest and head into New Haven. There is a small pizza shop there. Every day at about 3 o'clock they open up, and everyday at about 2o'clock the line begins to start. That line grows for the next two blocks and it doesn't die until 10o'clock when they close.

I have been in that line. In front of me was a guy from Maine (Portland, so I am not sure if you can really call that Maine...) and he said he comes down here once a month for the pizza, drives home (3 hours) and has dinner with his family. I also met a guy who literally built an entire trip around the pizza parlors of NYC and CT (but you could tell, he mainly came for CT!!!)

Also, CT has far better quality water... thus far better quality pizza :D

 

[Mysteryman]

If you do not buy cheese from Vermont, your pizza is no doubt going to be second class. It does not matter which state claims the best pizza. It only matters what is on the pizza and where the ingredients come from. Those happy cow comercials from Cali. are not telling you the truth, with all that smog and city life those cows must endure.

Milk from contented cows which drink fresh spring water can not be beaten. Heck , we give them names because they are pets. Talk about the love we give our cows , and how we handle our milk, and make our cheese, and you will know where the best pizza comes from, no matter who makes the dough or tomato sauce.

In Vermont we also grow the best organic grains in the country. The flour you use for the dough should also come from Vermont. Now I am not bragging. But the air up here is fresh and clean, and the water does not need chlorine in it to make it safe for drinking.

And we welcome tourist. :D

 

[Pard]

Mystery,

I've been to Vermont (like 2 hours away, of course I drive a tiny bit fast!). There is no reason anyone would want to waste their time being a tourist in Vermont when Maine is two states over and two worlds better.

Now, I will agree that Vermont probably makes the best milk products, but than again, I don't eat milk products so I can't say. I do know that the best grain in the world actually comes from this farm in Virginia. They grow it, pick it, grind it, package it, and sell it.

 

[Mysteryman]

Hi Pard:

Of course you know from studying History, that the civil war was won by Vermonters. And we still consider our southern neighbors as part of the union, but only by our grace !

Pizza without cheese ? Oh my, that is like having a dog that only walks backwards. :biglaugh

Just remember, your money from down south is good here in Vermont, even if it still has a picture of Robert E. Lee on the note.

 

[Pard]

Yes well, do remember that us Nutmegers only consider you part of this Union and not Canada out of our grace.

Furthermore, I'd like you to turn your history book to the page about our Constitution. You will note how the Connecticut Constitution (need I remind you it is the oldest Constitution in history?) played an amazingly important role in creating the US Constitution. In fact the CT Constitution's structure is identical to that of the US Constitution, because the Feds. had to copy good ole' Nutmeger ingenuity!

:rolling

That reminds me o the story of how we, Nutmegers, got our name! We started carving fake nutmegs out of wood and selling them to people in Ohio!!! And those Ohio guys fell for it so hard they ended up naming a county after us!!! :biglaugh :biglaugh :biglaugh

 

[jasoncran]

oh please, one isnt a true new yorker, mainer, or wherever in the north till one has darkened florida's towns.
and yes vic i havent heard that in yrs about pizza. but a true italian restaurant doesnt sell pizza!

and we eat turtles,gators, crawfish,coon.opossum and let's see the armidillo, the ultimate roadkill grilled fresh

 

[Vic C.]

Of course not! You don't go to a restaurant for pizza, you go to a pizzeria. :D

Now this is pizza! 12" dough, fresh San Marzano plum tomatoes, real imported mozzarella from Italy (the best mozzarella cheese in the world), fresh basil and real Italian extra virgin olive oil, in and out of a 900* wood burning oven in 90 seconds! The only pizza better than this is cooked in a brick oven. :yes

[youtube:18y6rke7]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InDwfZmSikI&feature=related[/youtube:18y6rke7]

:D :D

 

[jasoncran]

theres only one offcial pizzeria in my hometown.