Restaurant Types, Portion Size, and Menu Variety

[Information_queen]

The Denver Metro area has approximately 2.7 million people, thus tons of restaurants.  Mainly chain restaurants that serve huge high calorie meals.  Mostly moderately priced American (burgers, fries, fried chicken etc), Italian or American Chinese and Mexican food. Privately owned Sushi abounds.  Can only think of two Indian places in the city.  Big menus.

That could almost be Memphis, with not quite so many sushi places.

We do have a few Middle Eastern/Mediterranean places that I've found lately.

And one African-possibly-Middle Eastern place that appears to be authentic enough that my friend actually inquired about my ability to eat right-handed! I guess we'll find out if we ever get down there

[merryns]

In our NYC neighborhood we have a great variety of restaurants.  Just about every kind of ethnic food from Australian to Yemini is represented. 

As an Australian, I am curious as to what a New Yorker would consider to be 'Australian' food.

[squashedfrog]

In the Uk our favourite dish was voted as Chicken Tikka Masala, so I think Indian restaurants are probably the most popular here.

I live outside Birmingham in a large village that has 5 indian restaurants, 1 thai, 3 italians, 3 pubs (one carvery), and a chinese restaurant.  we also have a good fish and chip shop.

I would say from my experience on holiday in the US (Miami) tht the portion sizes there are a lot bigger than in the UK and Europe.   Our starters when we ate out in the US in mainstream restaurants were the same size as most main meals in England.

[Seraphia]

I live in a small town in Ohio. We have: a Mexican restaurant, a very upscale place that serves venison, pheasant and other game, a German-style diner, and a few other gems here and there. Most people prefer pretty tame food, but it's a small town, and specialty restaurants don't have a big market to begin with.

On the other hand, when I took a trip to New York, the subway station had more variety than the whole town here. Everything from a kosher food truck to sushi, in just a couple hundred yards!

[Hmmmmm]

In our NYC neighborhood we have a great variety of restaurants.  Just about every kind of ethnic food from Australian to Yemini is represented. 

As an Australian, I am curious as to what a New Yorker would consider to be 'Australian' food.

Having lived in Perth a short while, I was curious about that too, as all I really think of is meat pies, sausage rolls, barramundi, and burgers served with beets as being typical Australian.  So I did a google search and immediately dismissed the first restaurant called the Australian NYC since it referred to "mains" as "entrees", the typical U.S. menu phrasing and wanted to charge $14 USD for one meat pie.  There was another group of fast food places that sold meat pies and sausage rolls tha seemed more authentic. 

[Redsoil]

The rather small country town nearest us  has one Chinese restaurant.  A couple of the pubs do meals - just the usual steak 'n' chips etc.

[SoCalVal]

I live in Northern CA.  Chain restaurants tend to have big portion sizes (I remember the Cheesecake Factory used to be unique with this concept 20 years ago, but that stopped being the case about 10+ years ago).  Stand-alone restaurants, I think, usually have normal portion sizes.  I used to be perfectly fine with having doggie bags but, in the interest of not spending more money than necessary eating out, DF and I agreed it's better if we share a single dish that we finish rather than spend the money on two dishes that ends up being too much food.

Menus -- chain restaurants typically have pretty big menus.  I find the trendier sushi places tend to have huge selections of rolls.

Cuisines -- American steakhouses, burger joints, diner-types, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian, Nepalese, Filipino, Indian, soul, bbq, vegan/vegetarian, Mexican, Spanish, Afghan, Russian, Ethiopian, French, Italian, Moroccan, Brazilian, Greek, chip shops/pub fare -- don't know if I'm missing anything else.  Of these, I've yet to try Nepalese, Russian, Spanish, Brazilian, Greek and Moroccan in this area.  Would like to say Basque (which I just tried a few months ago), but that was in Southern CA (well, maybe Central CA).

Most common cuisine?  Not sure -- maybe Chinese.

[sammycat]

In our NYC neighborhood we have a great variety of restaurants.  Just about every kind of ethnic food from Australian to Yemini is represented. 

As an Australian, I am curious as to what a New Yorker would consider to be 'Australian' food.

lol, I was just coming to post that exact same question, word for word!

Having visited the US many times, I'm still not used to the large/huge portions there.  One thing for sure, I've never starved when I've been on holiday there.

One of the main differences between US and Australian restaurants is that drinks refills are not free - you need to purchase each drink separately (or buy a jug).  The only exception I've come across is is the Sizzler buffet.  The price on the menu is all you pay - tax is included and I've never come across anyone who tips.  Prices seem to be about on par in both countries from what I've seen, with the US being maybe a little cheaper.

Entrees are things like garlic bread or other 'nibbly' things.  Mains are the main portion of the meal, and desserts, are well... yummy.

In answer to the title, I'm within easy walking distance or a few minutes drive of pizza places (both chain and single business), a fish and chip/hamburger place, Indian, Chinese and Italian/pasta places.  There's the normal assortment of pubs and casual restaurants within 5-15 minutes drive.

All the major shopping centres have food courts that usually cater to a variety of tastes - sushi, KFC, McDonalds, seafood, kebabs, 'homemade' type foods, muffins, Thai/Chinese/Korean/Italian, Subway, etc etc.

Australia is sadly lacking in chains such as Denny's, Cheesecake Factory etc.  We have Hog's Breath Cafe, where a main course will probably set you back about $18-$30, or a burger approx ($11-$14).  Chips (fries) and either salad or vegetables accompany those meals.

More than anything, I wish we had Denny's here in Australia!!  When I visit Auckland (New Zealand) or Anaheim, California, I do my best to keep those Denny's in business during my trips!

[DaisyG]

In my small town in south London, UK, we have:
5 Chinese takeaways - one also does fish and chips, another also has a buffet.
3 Indian restaurants
3 burger places
2 fish and chip shops (not including the place that also does Chinese, above)
2 pubs serving 'normal' English food
1 carvery
1 pub serving Thai food
1 Italian restaurant
1 kebab shop

I am also within walking distance of other Chinese and Indian restaurants, pizza places and a traditional English 'working man's' cafe which serves things like cooked breakfasts, jacket potatoes, sandwiches and builder's tea.

Normally if I eat out with family we get Chinese food and we tend to share dishes. But in any other kind of restaurant I can generally eat all or almost all of a main course and IMHO it's unusual (except with pizza) to ask to take the rest of your meal home. The only places where I know you can get refills on drinks are Nando's  and Pizza Hut.

[Thipu1]

In our NYC neighborhood we have a great variety of restaurants.  Just about every kind of ethnic food from Australian to Yemini is represented. 

As an Australian, I am curious as to what a New Yorker would consider to be 'Australian' food.

We have the DUB Pie Shop.  DUB stands for 'Down Under Bakery'.  It's a small take-out place that specializes in Australian meat pies.

It's owned and operated by people who are Australian and the focal point of the place is a large warmed cabinet where the pies are displayed for sale. On any given day, about a dozen varieties are offered.  Mr. Thipu likes the steak and onion while I prefer the mince and cheese.  When we treat ourselves to these we usually also order a curried vegetable pie to share as a side dish.  Te combinaion makesan excellent lunch.

The DUB Pie Shop also offers floaters. I could be wrong but we think that's decently authentic Australian food.  Hey, it's not OutbackSteak House. 

[SoCalVal]

In our NYC neighborhood we have a great variety of restaurants.  Just about every kind of ethnic food from Australian to Yemini is represented. 

As an Australian, I am curious as to what a New Yorker would consider to be 'Australian' food.

We have the DUB Pie Shop.  DUB stands for 'Down Under Bakery'.  It's a small take-out place that specializes in Australian meat pies.

It's owned and operated by people who are Australian and the focal point of the place is a large warmed cabinet where the pies are displayed for sale. On any given day, about a dozen varieties are offered.  Mr. Thipu likes the steak and onion while I prefer the mince and cheese.  When we treat ourselves to these we usually also order a curried vegetable pie to share as a side dish.  Te combinaion makesan excellent lunch.

The DUB Pie Shop also offers floaters. I could be wrong but we think that's decently authentic Australian food.  Hey, it's not OutbackSteak House.

Are Australian meat pies the same things as pasties?  We do have one pasty shop here, in that case.

[violinp]

I live in the upper part of the American South.

Within a short driving distance, we have

• An (allegedly) Mexican restaurant - we haven't gone there in years
• An Italian restaurant - this is our favorite restaurant. They have lobster ravioli, osso bucco, and many, many other wonderful delicacies.
• A Chicago - style bar and grill that has amazing sandwiches
• 2 Japanese restaurants - one is our second favorite restaurant, and we always take the option to sit at a table where our meal is cooked in front of us. The other I haven't gone to, but Cabbage has told me that the portions are huge - my dad ordered a steak and shrimp combo, which he can eat at the other restaurant, but could only eat half at this one.
• A steakhouse that I haven't been back to since I found out I was allergic to crab - their crab cakes were the only thing I could eat on their menu, since I don't eat red meat a lot. 

[katycoo]

The DUB Pie Shop also offers floaters. I could be wrong but we think that's decently authentic Australian food.  Hey, it's not OutbackSteak House.

This Australian doesn't know what a floater is, so...

The only actually Australian food i know of (that we don't fight with NZ or thr UK about) is fairy bread.  I love me some fairy bread.

[oz diva]

Pie floaters are a South Australian speciality, I believe. You place a meat pie on top of a sea of mashed peas.

A pie is not the same as a pasty though both are surrounded by flaky pastry. A meat or chicken pie is usually round and has meat in a gravy inside. A pasty is a different shape and has more vegetables.

[JonGirl]

My sister is an Aussie living in the States.
The Outback is not Australian.