Roadfood Forum?

[Ishbel]

As you say Marmalady - the idea of eating McDs.... .

Oh, unless it's this MacDonald (Lady Claire, wife of the chief of Clan MacDonald) restaurant on Skye....

I have a number of Claire MacDonald's cookbooks - they are very good - and so is the restaurant!!! You can make Kinloch Lodge one of my first recommendations

http://www.taste-of-scotland.com/members/kinloch_lodge.html

 

[marmalady]

Someday, Ishbel, I will be there!

 

[Ishbel]

And when you DO make it over.... I'll show you some REALLY WONDERFUL places to eat

 

[kitchenelf]

Somewhere in one of these forums -- I can't find it -- I posted a question about a "portable grill."

Weber has a large grill, about $180 on sale. A similar unit, online, smaller, about $120. Nice stuff.

Weber portable "Go Anywhere" grill, about $50, on sale. Your basic stamped sheet metal, gas hibachi.

"Everyday Living" -- I think a Kroger brand -- knock off of the Weber Go Anywhere . . . smaller. I don't need large. Right now it's about $18 on sale. I'm leaning in this direction -- but Fred Meyer . . . retail brain trust that they are . . . doesn't have one assembled, out of the box.

But I could take one out of the box. Or buy one, open the package, and return it if I don't like it.

A small gas grill, for BBQ grilling on the tailgate. How hard can it be?

This post is probably in the grilling sub forum in Outdoor Cooking. I'm sure it will get lost in this thread.

 

[kitchenelf]

Yes, i hope this road forum will be for anywhere in the world - if it has a road hopefully we'll have someone available to tell you where their favorite local restaurant is.

 

[Claire]

Road food has a very simple meaning for me .... I've spent much of my life travelling in a car (Dad an Air Force Sergeant). Road food is what you eat when you are miles away from home and can't afford a restaurant. Kool-aid. The favorite was sub sandwiches, a true treat. Now that I'm a little older (duh), when we're on the road we look for small mom & pops, preferably with an ethnic bent to them (for example, Vietnamese food in Garden City, Kansas). Mostly, to me, it has to be something that is a bargain (I don't know what military per diem in nowadays, but that's pretty much the standard).

 

[Daphne duLibre]

How sad. One of the joys of being on the road is the discovery of the myriad local restaurants serving the type of food indiginous to the area. I simply cannot imagine traveling to Japan - or Ireland - or Scotland (hi, Ishbel!), and eating McD.

There should be maybe an "icon" for sarcasm and irony. *LMAO*

I'm where I want to be these days (Northern Oregon Coast), and even though I'm entitled to free military transport anywhere in the world, I don't take advantage because I like it here just fine . . .

One down side to being on the road is walking into a nice restaurant and requesting "a table for one." It's difficult to really appreciate well prepared food all alone, also seems a bit extravagant when you're eating alone.

Besides which, on the other side of the restaurant business -- the wait staff hates single tables because it's about the same amount of work for about half the tip.

But if I'm traveling with a group -- it's a feast, and I'll call the local media to have them suggest restaurants. There's always a "dining editor" on the major media staff in larger cities.

 

[kitchenelf]

Northern Oregon Coast

It's gonna get crowded out there around the 23rd - going to visit my sister in Seaside along with another sister from Ohio.

 

[jpmcgrew]

When traveling, it is a good idea to also ask the locals where a good place to eat is.If I get several people telling me the same place Im going there to try it.

 

[Claire]

jpm ... I have travelled more than most, and absolutely agree. One thing hubby and I do is hit a couple of bars. Some will be the bars of high end eating establishments, others will be working-class bars (we fit in both places, if anything have had the high ends try to throw us out with their mannerisms-- that's another story). In the high-end places, we make it plain that we are looking to see where we want to go for dinner, buy one cocktail each while we peruse the menu. At other drinking establishments, we ask where the best place to eat is -- ask the bartender, the clientelle. Over the years, we've gotten wonderful results all-around. But mostly we love the little ethnic places we root out ourselves (hey, Jer, that looks like Korean over that little shop, and I need some Kimchee fixin's).

 

[Daphne duLibre]

It's gonna get crowded out there around the 23rd - going to visit my sister in Seaside along with another sister from Ohio.

This week-end in Seaside (Aug. 13/14) it's some sort of national beach vollyball championship.

Aug. 20 there's gonna be a women's surf workshop.

Jeez! (Daphne is a guy you know . . . )

 

[ironchef]

I'm where I want to be these days (Northern Oregon Coast), and even though I'm entitled to free military transport anywhere in the world, I don't take advantage because I like it here just fine . . .

Denial just ain't a river in Egypt

One down side to being on the road is walking into a nice restaurant and requesting "a table for one." It's difficult to really appreciate well prepared food all alone, also seems a bit extravagant when you're eating alone.

Which is a non-issue anyway since you don't frequent those types of restaurants. Applebee's would probably be considered upscale to you.

Denial ain't...oh, nevermind.

Besides which, on the other side of the restaurant business -- the wait staff hates single tables because it's about the same amount of work for about half the tip.

Not true. Many waitstaff like single tables because they are a fast turn, and many times appreciate attentive service even though they are dining alone. I have seen many tabs for a single guest with a 30% or higher tip because the waiter took good care of them. Of course I've never worked at Applebee's so....

But if I'm traveling with a group -- it's a feast, and I'll call the local media to have them suggest restaurants. There's always a "dining editor" on the major media staff in larger cities.

A feeble rescue attempt at best, for your post. I'm sure that the Dining Editors at the Chicago Tribune, LA Times, etc. were just poised by their phones, waiting expectantly for your call. ANYONE who travels knows that the best and most surefire way to find out where the best places to eat at is to ask the locals.

 

[mrsmac]

One of our most memorable meals was at a hotel in Tennant Creek NT (Australia) it is literally in the middle of nowhere and we went to Margo Miles Steakhouse and had the best meal, DH had fantastic Barramundi and I had steak. It was one of 2 places to have dinner so it was a lucky fluke we went there. Sometimes its fun to just take a stab in the dark and eat somewhere at random.

 

[kitchenelf]

mrsmac - What great luck you had!!!!! We have taken "stabs in the dark". Sometimes they turn out good other times horrible. It makes me so mad to waste stomach space but if we don't take a stab every now and then we would also miss those places that were extraordinarily wonderful!!!

 

[purrfectlydevine]

DH and I just got back from a vacation and my rule is that we don't eat at a restaurant or fast food place that I can go to at home, no Applebee's, McDonald's, Hardee's, Red Lobster, etc. On this trip I went to a Krystal and Waffle House for the first time. They seem to be throughout the south, but not where I live. While in Nashville, we ate at a local steakhouse and a restaurant specializing in fried catfish. The catfish was good, but the restaurant was not what we expected as far as the way the meal was served. In Savannah we ate at 3 local restaurants and enjoyed our meals. Asking the locals is an excellent suggestion.

 

[kitchenelf]

purrfectlydevine - I have that same rule - I get so aggravated when people we are with on vacation want to eat at chain restaurants!!!!! That's one of the reasons we go on vacation by ourselves - the other is only the 2 of us are on the same schedule - we are night owls - we like to eat about 9:00 - everyone else is in bed by 9:00

 

[Claire]

The military transport thing can wind up costing you more than you'd have paid for a bargain air fare.

But, Divine, I whole-heartedly agree with the concept of "if I can get it at home, why am I travelling?" I rarely go to chains here, when I'm travelling, only if I'm starving, have dogs in the car, and desperately need a meal. In the three straight years we were on the road, I don't think we ever hit a chain, period (after all, we had our kitchen dragging behind our truck, so there was no reason to ever eat something we didn't want to eat). Now when we have to take a road trip, we often have two dogs in the truck with us, and have to stop for stuff "to go". I guess my favorite is to buy a bunch of tacos at taco bell, anywhere else a salad. Every other year I need to go down to FL and see how the family is doing. It's a 2-3 day road trip. One night is in Atlanta, and I cook there or am invited to freinds' houses. One night is in KY at a dog-friendly hotel with a good restaurant. But that's still 3 lunches. I used to pack lunches for picnics, but swear that curses the weather ... If I pack a picnic, we get the worst weather. So now it is salads or tacos at fast food places.

I'm the queen of road trips, so any questions, email me.

 

[Gerrycooks]

Road food

When my husband and I travel we ask locals where they would go if they were going out for a meal. When you ask them this question you don't get the list of local tourist restrants but places where the locals eat.
We also travel with a portable refrigerator that runs on battery or electric so that we can purchase local foods.
We vist local farms and have bought goat cheese and fresh milk in glass bottles. We always bring fresh fruit and can dine in our hotel room if we wish.
I also search the internet for places to eat.
We have eaten in some great places, usually not fancy but locally owned.
I would love to hear where people are eating.
We are going to NIagra Falls Canada and I would like to know where good places to eat are.

 

[purrfectlydevine]

When DH and I went to Niagara Falls, Ontario last year, a place called Mama Mia's (if I remember correctly was recommended). Unfortunately, we didn't get there. The Swiss Chalet was another place. We did go there and the food was good and the prices were very reasonable. We stayed at the Comfort Inn on Clifton Hill, pricey but close to the falls. The continental breakfast was very substantial. We ate a huge breakfast at the hotel and then a late lunch/early dinner. Dessert was later in the evening. There was a restaurant at the motel next to ours where we ate as soon as we arrived. It was horrible.

 

[Gerrycooks]

Thanks for the restaurant info for Niagra falls. I prefer to eat at places people recommend. We are staying at the Fallsview Casino Resort. I hope it is as nice as we have read