Is the ITALIAN food in your region REALLY GOOD?

[RMulieri]

YES...For one I am 2nd generation Italian American, I grew up in a heavily italian area of NJ and My father grew up in little Italy in NYC.I can MAKE better italian-American than most places.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

No, the Italian food in my area generally isn't very good at all. We have one place that's okay (although almost everything is far too heavily fried or sitting in way too much olive oil) that I can tolerate.

My maternal grandmother came from northern Italy and she settled in the NJ/Delaware area. Thankfully she taught my mother how to cook true northern Italian cuisine, and my mother taught me. I mean, fried chicken topped with tomato gravy and cheese is fine and all, but it's not the Italian food I was raised eating.

And I certainly can't find any northern Italian restaurants in my corner of the world now.

But I've got to say the places here really have excellent southern food: Barbeque, outstanding fresh produce and farmers markets, collard greens and grits, fried chicken with sausage gravy (they do that one real good!!!), boiled peanuts, true southern sweet tea. But good Italian food and good Chinese food? No.

And I wouldn't really expect to find either in such a tourist trap like Disney, either.

 

[ickeynickey]

Which is why I purposely referred to everything as Italian-American food, in my post, but no need to nit-pick on a Disney food board that is clearly talking about what people in most of the United States. [/QUOTE]

Once again, I am sorry.I did not try to offend anyone. I thought the board was for everyone and not just the United States. It can also refer to the best region in Italy for food. True Italian food is very different depending on what region of Italy you are in. Each region uses the ingredients that are the freshest in that area. Like which region has the best tasting lemons. Cream sauces are more northern and tomato based are more southern Italy. Different regions have different dry salamis. Veal is preferred in some areas and pork in others. Very little chicken anywhere. It is a matter a choice here, just like the states.

 

[dawnmommy]

honestly, you could sort of expand this thread to talk about restaurants in general. We're in Chicago, so yes, we have good Italian.

We also have Rick Bayless for Gourmet Mexico, so we aren't really interested in Mexico food at Disney. Same with Steaks. Chicago rocks steaks. Same with Thai, with Sushi, etc.

But we can't get Character meals anywhere but Disney, so we're doing 4 of them, and our kids are so excited! And we're excited for California Grill and Jiko, for super yummy wine lists. Jiko apparently has one of the top South African Wine lists in the U.S. , so I'm over the moon about that one!

So, we're excited about Disney food, but maybe for different reasons than others. I'm sure this is true for anyone from major cities, given the diversity of food already available.

 

[dawnmommy]

I am sorry. This topic always humors me when people talk about what is more authentic as far as Disney restaurants goes. My mom was Sicilian and my father from Bari. I live and work as a chef in Turin. I have eaten all over the United States and have tried much Italian cuisine there. This should be titled "Best Italian-American food" because very little actually resembles true Italian food. I challange anyone to find chicken parmesan as an entree in Italy. Don't get me wrong, I have had some very good food in the States but not true Italian.

Right, this is the same the world over. This is why the "American" restaurants in Hong Kong, Germany, etc....aren't all that "American". This is why the "Chicago Grill" in Wellington New Zealand served nothing that DH and I ever had in our hometown of Chicago.

No worries - this is to be expected. Of course different cultures have interpreted food differently. No one ever said that their favorite "Italian" restaurant (are you happy, now that I put it in quotes?) was the same as you'd get in Italy.

The disboards are very diverse and friendly, but I imagine that at least 90% of posters are in fact NOT living in Italy, so your post sort of goes without saying, ya know?

If someone in New Jersey wants to post about the authentic Chicago Dog or Chicago Pizza in their town, I'm not going to get all offended. They might be the same, or they might not be. who cares?

 

[Micca]

I don't know. Everybody thinks their Italian food choice is the BEST AND THERE COULD NEVER BE ANYTHING ELSE THIS GOOD. How would I know?

 

[The Duchess]

Yes!

North End, Boston!!!! Makes the Jersey Shore look Irish!

http://www.northendboston.com/

+1!

But we love Il Mulino at the Swan/Dolphin

 

[DangoDango]

As another resident in Italy,the food here is of course very good. I've been to Chicago and there is a place called DeMarcos' which is fabulous.I've also experienced some great places in New Jersey and California.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I live in RI..very large Italian population here.We have fantastic restaurants anyway, but our Italian ones are really good.

One of the reasons I've steered clear of Italian food at WDW...

 

[luvthemouse71]

I am sorry. This topic always humors me when people talk about what is more authentic as far as Disney restaurants goes. My mom was Sicilian and my father from Bari. I live and work as a chef in Turin. I have eaten all over the United States and have tried much Italian cuisine there. This should be titled "Best Italian-American food" because very little actually resembles true Italian food. I challange anyone to find chicken parmesan as an entree in Italy. Don't get me wrong, I have had some very good food in the States but not true Italian.

good point..

 

[summerlady]

Growing up in NY and NJ, you get spoiled on Italian food. Nothing else ever tastes as good.

Absolutely agree.

I've had "Italian" food in Virginia, N. Carolina, Georgia and Florida (my cousin owns Italian restaurants in Ft. Myers and central Florida, he's not Italian)...*barf* Disney pizza is the worst of all; you can't get an Italian sub in Virginia, after asking me what exactly I wanted and then looking at me like I was insane, they threw a thick slab of ham, American cheese and PICKLES on a roll with mayo. *double barf* (I love the pickles on a Cuban sandwich, totally different). I can't even bear to think about the so-called Chinese food I had in Lexington, Virginia.

 

[wdwfan1]

Oh in NYC considering the best Italian places are owned and run by immigrants, it is DELICIOUS!!! The littler, more hole-in-the-wall a place is, the better the food will be.

I agree that NY has the best Italian food around.

 

[Fantasmic23]

I live in the New Haven, CT area and nowhere else does Italian (especially pizza) like Wooster Street in New Haven.

 

[mamaprincess]

Grew up in and around Chicago. There are many outstanding Italian restaurants in the Chicago metropolitan area. I've never tried Disney Italian. Think my standards would be to high. Like another poster said, Chicago does so many things well. It's a city that like N.Y. is really diverse.

 

[tami82]

We are in NJ and everywhere there are tons of great pizza places that serve "real pizza". Luckily Im surrounded by them but i havent really had one bad pizza from NJ. NY & NJ has the best pizza around.

 

[mattyg]

We live in rural NE GA. There is one locally owned restaurant in Clayton called Mama G's that my wife loves but other than that we have Olive Garden which we like but its not great.

 

[Anthony1971]

TONY's I eat there most trips the atmosphere is nice the food is Pizza place canned gravy quality I know what it is going in--- yes it is gravy not sauce

I grew up in NY now live in North NJ I have a a pizza place/ Deli mostly catering/ and Bakery who only takes cash... You figure it out

The only place in Disney that I like is Portobello and mainly for lunch and the Pasta dishes... If you want meat go elsewhere as it is not italian here either or an even a good American version.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I think the food in my area, unless I go into Philadelphia, though I don't think I've ever eaten at an Italian restaurant there, is passable but nothing that great. Tutto Italia is better, and actually, so is Mama Melrose's.

 

[cdtommie]

As a person who was born and raised in NYC but now live in CT, I can tell you New Haven, CT has the best pizza, period.

If you are at WDW and are looking for the best pizza, go to the Blue Zoo lounge and order the clam flatbread...as close to Frank Pepe's as you're going to get in Florida.

 

[Fantasmic23]

As a person who was born and raised in NYC but now live in CT, I can tell you New Haven, CT has the best pizza, period.

If you are at WDW and are looking for the best pizza, go to the Blue Zoo lounge and order the clam flatbread...as close to Frank Pepe's as you're going to get in Florida.

Amen, my friend. I was born and raised on Pepe's (Sally's, too) as my aunt lived just off of Wooster Street. Thanks for the heads-up about the Blue Zoo!