Dining Out

Well the dining experience here is what I would call an experience.  I have mentioned a few things in other posts but will touch on them again, for I just don't think this post would be done justice otherwise.  Everything here is very expensive, the food is no exception.  Luci, Sheri and I went to lunch one day it cost over $100.  That is just plain ridiculous.  We did finally find a neat little street with a lot of restaurants on it with quite a variety.  These eating places were much more reasonably priced.  Not much different from the States.  Some things I learned quickly when eating out in Moscow:

• you can find English menus
• But that does not mean the server understands you
• if you can't point to what you want then you need to find another place to eat
• all pickiness goes out the door (if you don't like tomatoes  - tough!  Pick them off!)
• There are no refills
• You pay for ketchup
• They have not heard of Ranch Dressing
• all drinks are about the same price (so cheap doesn't matter; choose the coke or big kid drink if you want because water costs just as much)
• don't count on your drinks being cold
• always sit outside because the A/C is not what we are used to(now I have not hit the season for the Arctic Tundra yet so I am this will change soon)
• if there are pictures of the food on the menu you are much better off understanding what you are ordering
• there is no non smoking sections here.  They claim there is but the table beside you being smoking does not count.
• all food is what you have heard of before

Besides all of that we do have several of the fast food places we all know and love:  McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys, Subway, KFC, Sbarro (we are missing Taco Bell :(  

Mexican food seems to be something they have not grasped onto here yet.  Sheri wanted Mexican so we looked in my book at the three whole places they suggested.  It was good but not great.  My cheese for nachos was the cheese you get a the ballgame.  Sad yes!  And then the "Mexican" place in the mall we ordered cheese dip and it was a big thing of shredded cheese melted poorly.  They bring you a tea light to put under the dish to keep it warm.  Well unless I have been using tea lights wrong all this time they don't really heat much they are more for decorations.  

Now apparently the people here love Sbarro.  It is not the small section in the food court back in the States.  No this place is big everywhere it is.  It is in the malls but it has a huge pizza option, along with a huge salad bar, dessert bar, and drink center.  I do find it interesting the love with Sbarro.

All food is available here so need to worry about starving.  Luci primarily ate Sbarro and sushi the whole time.  I have not strayed far from that.  David has been in love with the club sandwich.  It is made slightly different here:  mayo, lettuce, tomato, bacon, fried egg, and chicken breast.  The egg is quite yummy on it I have to say.  

So now you all know that when you come visit if my cooking has not reached par levels then we will be eating out and you can manage.  No starving here!