Crowd Outlook

[Suger Mag]

Not one that would have come to me, so I am genuinely curious: What's on the menu?

Another place that might well qualify: Charleston, SC. Really great restaurant scene in town there.

Portland has Duck Fat... the restaurant and the substance they use to cook with, pretty tasty when we tried it. Also a few other places of that are popular but that I am not personally familiar with.... but Portland Me has been getting attention among folks I know for being a foodie place

 

[RivShore]

https://www.commanderspalace.com/

The best restaurant we've ever been to, anywhere.

Wait, even better than your recent European adventure restaurants?

 

[Leigh L]

Washington DC also has a great food scene, especially if you love Asian cusine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, etc.

Unfortunately I don't go there much because driving there is a living nightmare.

I was going to post this suggestion too

Originally, I'm from north of NYC which has great food but was not very diverse in options. In the DMV, you can get almost anything.

Portland sounds interesting. And yes, DC should be on the list--partly as a hotbed of immigration. The Ethiopian there is out of this world.

We had some the other night, good stuff!

 

[Brian Noble]

https://www.commanderspalace.com/

The best restaurant we've ever been to, anywhere.

We're spending Easter Week in NOLA with the kids (well, "kids") next year. This may go on the list.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I was going to post this suggestion too

Originally, I'm from north of NYC which has great food but was not very diverse in options. In the DMV, you can get almost anything.

We had some the other night, good stuff!

Agreed. I lived in NJ for most of my life but moved to the DMV area a few years ago. The part I live in has one of the highest South Korean immigrant populations in the US so the Korean food here is AMAZING. Lots of fantastic Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese places too.

It's why I don't gravitate towards that type of cuisine at WDW. I found Morimoto Asia to be very mediocre.

 

[Tigger's ally]

https://www.commanderspalace.com/

The best restaurant we've ever been to, anywhere.

Any menu with Turtle soup on it piques my interest. May drive over from Biloxi my next trip down there just to try this place. The Wagyu Tamale on the lunch appetizer menu sounds good as well.

 

[wabbott]

Here's the appetizer to order.

https://www.commanderspalace.com/cuisine/recipes/shrimp-tasso-henican


Here's the desert to have

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bread-pudding-souffle-with-whiskey-sauce-recipe0-1944031



Ride the St. Charles Avenue streetcar from the French Quarter to the Washington Street stop. Then walk the two blocks - past the Lafayette Cemetery - to the restaurant. It will put you in a NOLA frame of mind.

We always dress up - I even put on a coat & tie.

 

[RivShore]

Agreed. I lived in NJ for most of my life but moved to the DMV area a few years ago. The part I live in has one of the highest South Korean immigrant populations in the US so the Korean food here is AMAZING. Lots of fantastic Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese places too.

It's why I don't gravitate towards that type of cuisine at WDW. I found Morimoto Asia to be very mediocre.

NJ is no slouch in the food department it's just all very spread out and local. Like great Indian but that's mostly in the Edison area. Also of course Italian - a few years ago, the NYT's had a sacrilegious (for NY'ers anyway) headline-"The Best Pizza in NY is in NJ". Also seafood everywhere along the coast, Portuguese in the Newark area, Polish in the middle of the state, and lots of other ethnic places in the little enclaves they settled in. And of course Greek at any of the 100,000 diners in the state. LOL.

 

[Smugpugmug]

NJ is no slouch in the food department it's just all very spread out and local. Like great Indian but that's mostly in the Edison area. Also of course Italian - a few years ago, the NYT's had a sacrilegious (for NY'ers anyway) headline-"The Best Pizza in NY is in NJ". Also seafood everywhere along the coast, Portuguese in the Newark area, Polish in the middle of the state, and lots of other ethnic places in the little enclaves they settled in. And of course Greek at any of the 100,000 diners in the state. LOL.

The area where I grew up had a lot of nice Polish delis, diners and pizza places. Pizza is actually a big one for me because now my standards are a little too high.

Via Napoli is probably the only place to get good pizza in central Florida. It's awful everywhere else.

 

[jade1]

It's not awful. Honestly, it's pretty good. But there is only so much you can do with a different sauce to hide the fact that everyone is serving the same beef short rib that Disney's purchasers got a deal on this month.

I think that's why a lot us when local, enjoy the Epcot Celebrations so much.

F&W started today.

So many choices, and many new ones each time.

Of course not full meals, but it's a somewhat inexpensive way for the taste buds.

 

[Leigh L]

Agreed. I lived in NJ for most of my life but moved to the DMV area a few years ago. The part I live in has one of the highest South Korean immigrant populations in the US so the Korean food here is AMAZING. Lots of fantastic Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese places too.

It's why I don't gravitate towards that type of cuisine at WDW. I found Morimoto Asia to be very mediocre.

Agree 100% - and we don't eat either Asian or Italian food at WDW. (I'm pretty sure we might be talking the same area for Korean food ).

One thing I really miss is bakeries and bread (esp Ossining and Arthur Ave bakeries). As a teen, I worked in a NY deli so that's my standard for bread. For non-bread items, Korean bakeries I really like and are now my go-to.

There is a great bakery in Herndon though that kind of reminded me of home but we don't go there very often: https://amphorabakery.com/ (they also have a diner we've never been to https://amphoragroup.com/amphoras-diner-deluxe/).

Edited to add: Maybe we should try Via Napoli!

NJ is no slouch in the food department it's just all very spread out and local. Like great Indian but that's mostly in the Edison area. Also of course Italian - a few years ago, the NYT's had a sacrilegious (for NY'ers anyway) headline-"The Best Pizza in NY is in NJ". Also seafood everywhere along the coast, Portuguese in the Newark area, Polish in the middle of the state, and lots of other ethnic places in the little enclaves they settled in. And of course Greek at any of the 100,000 diners in the state. LOL.

Northern NJ pizza does rival NYs IMO. (I'm kind of snobby when it comes to pizza - lol.) There are like 3 places I'll get it from in the area of VA where I live.

I miss Polish food! And diners!

 

[RivShore]

Agree 100% - and we don't eat either Asian or Italian food at WDW. (I'm pretty sure we might be talking the same area for Korean food ).

One thing I really miss is bakeries and bread (esp Ossining and Arthur Ave bakeries). As a teen, I worked in a NY deli so that's my standard for bread. For non-bread items, Korean bakeries I really like and are now my go-to.

There is a great bakery in Herndon though that kind of reminded me of home but we don't go there very often: https://amphorabakery.com/ (they also have a diner we've never been to https://amphoragroup.com/amphoras-diner-deluxe/).

Edited to add: Maybe we should try Via Napoli!


Northern NJ pizza does rival NYs IMO. (I'm kind of snobby when it comes to pizza - lol.) There are like 3 places I'll get it from in the area of VA where I live.

I miss Polish food! And diners!

Yes, pizza is a tough one after living in NJ. We had something like a dozen good to great pizza places around our old house, now in Orange county and we have found maybe one or two passable places and none really close.

 

[Brian Noble]

Agree 100% - and we don't eat either Asian [...] food at WDW.

Pretty much anywhere that has restaurants that distinguish between Cantonese, Sichuan, Korean, Vietnamese, etc. rather than just having "Asian" or "Chinese" will out-perform WDW. Though I do admit to wondering about the new place in the Japan pavilion.

 

[Brian Noble]

Re: Via Napoli, it seems like they are under-cooking them a little bit lately. I suspect because too many people complained about "burned crust."

Sigh.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Agree 100% - and we don't eat either Asian or Italian food at WDW. (I'm pretty sure we might be talking the same area for Korean food ).

One thing I really miss is bakeries and bread (esp Ossining and Arthur Ave bakeries). As a teen, I worked in a NY deli so that's my standard for bread. For non-bread items, Korean bakeries I really like and are now my go-to.

There is a great bakery in Herndon though that kind of reminded me of home but we don't go there very often: https://amphorabakery.com/ (they also have a diner we've never been to https://amphoragroup.com/amphoras-diner-deluxe/).

Edited to add: Maybe we should try Via Napoli!


Northern NJ pizza does rival NYs IMO. (I'm kind of snobby when it comes to pizza - lol.) There are like 3 places I'll get it from in the area of VA where I live.

I miss Polish food! And diners!

Just throwing this out there - some of the best Korean food I've ever had. The wait on weekends is nuts and when I went, I was the only non Korean person there.
https://shinchonmaryland.com/

Via Napoli is solid. The pizzas are huge and totally shareable. Also they really blast the AC in there which is VERY appreciated in the summer months. I love the Lemon Drop cocktail too. That is SO nice when it's super hot out.

 

[wabbott]

Since we talking food, I need to report snagging ressies @ Carthay Circle for Monday, 9/25/23 dinner. DLR/DCA, 9/25 - 9/28.

Scotch Mist cocktail, a bottle of Fess Parker, and maybe the rigatoni with lamb sausage. Can't wait.

Boy, this thread went sideways today, didn't it?

 

[Cfabar1]

We enjoy Be our guest... it might be a tinge overpriced, but the food is solid there... Rest of MK the meal options are quite underwhelming.

EPCOT is the closest that Disney comes to doing meals really well. The resort areas also have great food.

Nothing is truly unique, but that's what happens when you go to a true tourist hotbed. Portland has more interesting cuisine, but that is because it is not just for tourists, it is a true urban place. Same with NOLA. You can't really compare it to the LV strip or Orlando.

 

[Brian Noble]

Oh, one can compare them. It’s just that the comparison is not difficult.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

NJ is no slouch in the food department it's just all very spread out and local. Like great Indian but that's mostly in the Edison area. Also of course Italian - a few years ago, the NYT's had a sacrilegious (for NY'ers anyway) headline-"The Best Pizza in NY is in NJ". Also seafood everywhere along the coast, Portuguese in the Newark area, Polish in the middle of the state, and lots of other ethnic places in the little enclaves they settled in. And of course Greek at any of the 100,000 diners in the state. LOL.

The Jersey folks need to calm down with the excellence of the Garden State.

Been there many times, I have family there and it is a perfectly fine place, but jeepers this feels like overcompensation.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

We enjoy Be our guest... it might be a tinge overpriced, but the food is solid there... Rest of MK the meal options are quite underwhelming.

EPCOT is the closest that Disney comes to doing meals really well. The resort areas also have great food.

Nothing is truly unique, but that's what happens when you go to a true tourist hotbed. Portland has more interesting cuisine, but that is because it is not just for tourists, it is a true urban place. Same with NOLA. You can't really compare it to the LV strip or Orlando.

I agree, tourist destinations have captive audiences to cater to. if they get something wrong it doesn't matter as much because a new person replaces them almost immediately. Urban areas work on repeat customers which drives more creativity, and better quality food