are portions really that huge ?

[spadge]

whist i know we are on holiday and want o enjoy our food i am concerned that food portions are massive and we will all become pork faces !! :grin:

are waiting staff happy for you to share or have a starter as a main ?
is there healthy food available ?


many thanks

[MrB]

I think the best answer to 'are portions huge' is that they can be. But you do not have to eat it all.
Some places will let you share - you are the customer.
Healthy food - try Sweet Tomatoes or Seasons 52.

I am sure others will come and add more comments soon.

[foxylady]

Most restaurants are happy for people to share portions.

Also if there is anything left, they will usually offer you a "box" so that you can take away your left-overs.

Buffets are a good option, because you can eat what you want, whether it be loads or little!!

Most restaurants do "low carb" menus, and they also do lovely salads. However, don't have the dressing all over the salad, have it on the side, and you can use as much as you want to!!

[Gizmo473]

We normally share a few meals along the way. Waiters can look a bit surprised as most Americans just seem to plough their way through everything but so long as you explain they are ok. I put on 8lbs in 2 weeks on breakfast and dinner in 2 weeks last visit.

One bag out HOW MANY BACK?

[Little Monkey]

I always found the portions sizes too much for me...and would often have a starter and a dessert, bypassing the main course. I have also been know to share!! DS even when he was 13 ordered off the childs menu where poss as he just couldnt managed the main menu........though if it were now (he's nearly 16) I would never be able to fill him up ;)

[wazzimama]

not all places have huge portions but a lot do, we generally skip a have either a starter or main, but have on the odd occasion had a table full

[Silver99]

If you share a meal, remember to tip as though you bought 2 meals. The waiter still has to do the same amount of work even though your bill is 50% of what it would be otherwise. It's a generally accepted courtesy.

[purple myra]

i'm already a pork face and i struggle with the portions. only twice did i manage 3 courses and that was Brown Derby and le Cellier as portions there are much smaller.
We had breakfast and a main meal each day, that was it!
On our last day though our main meal was le Cellier (for lunch) and fortunately the portions were smaller as i hadn't done Bahama Breeze yet and was determined to squeeze it in :)

[Mrs_Dazzle]

We've learnt the hard way over the years and now never order a starter :blush:

The portions can be very generous - yum yum :d: Like others have said, the wait staff think nothing of giving you your leftovers in takeout boxes - it's perfectly normal :)

[mouli1]

can never manage a starter or a pudding ,I think it depends where you go I didnt think everywhere had huge portions.If you cant eat it all they will box it up and you can take it away,but thats no good if you are not going straight back to a fridge or dont have a cooler

[Fiona]

whist i know we are on holiday and want o enjoy our food i am concerned that food portions are massive and we will all become pork faces !! :grin:

are waiting staff happy for you to share or have a starter as a main ?
is there healthy food available ?


many thanks
Yes most places to do big portions, but you don`t have to eat all of the food!! Just eat what you can manage and leave the rest. Yummy. :-)

[pepsicube]

Don't order sides either (unless they're for sharing), I remember once ordering a portion of onion rings to go with my steak. OMG it was a heaped dinner plate, with about 20 huge onion rings.

[rusty30]

I think it has evened out a bit these days.

I know when we started going, a lot of the meals seemed huge and the concept of buffets wasnt dreamt of here.

Now, if we order, say Jack Daniel's ribs from our local TGIs or a filet steak from our local Outback, it will appear EXACTLY as it would if we order it in Florida. In fact, on more recent occasions, Id actually say there was more on our UK plates than in Florida. The Outbacks in FL tend to just put on your steak and a small potato portion (plenty) whereas in the UK they will also put on a portion of veggies. In FL though, you'll usually be offered a free salad which you can decline if you want - although this makes an excellent starter!!

Im not a big dessert person - I prefer the appetisers buts it rare I can manage 3 courses - except at the gourmet / signature restaurants where portions do tend to be smaller.

[pookster]

Cheesecake factory do huge Salads!!!!!! The buggest Ive ever seen :)

[Petalsoftly]

Those side salads are as big as a normal salad so rather than struggle now I have a side salad as my main course. It's just waay too much food a starter a steak and chips and side salad with onion rings to share.... you can do it here in the UK but over there... no way!

[David63]

As others have said, it depends where you eat, but the portions are at least reasonably large everywhere; unlike in the UK. Some items are just an invitation to gluttony - ribs are usually large, as are burgers.

The prices are still low, so just leave what you don't want.

[spadge]

thanks everyone

I'm afraid i dont sign up to the leave what you dont want it seems v wasteful to me i'd rather order a smaller meal :)
think i will begoing for starters and salalds and a few steaks when i'm starving

[Denny Crane]

I have never been able to eat a three course meal in the normal restaraunts.
We always either forego the starter or the pudding.
However, one thing you can do in the USA is go into a restaraunt and just have a starter or even just a pudding!

[Petalsoftly]

I agree... here they would look at you like you were mad if you did just that lol!

Went to Denny's yesterday and my ribeye steak came with a ceasar side salad... DH who is American fell about laughing when the salad came it was literally on a plate the size of a saucer. BUT it was adequate really even though it looked funny after eating in the USA.

[BevS97]

Not everywhere has huge portions, but some places are downright silly. If you do and up with a meal far to big to eat, then please leave it rather than feeling obliged to eat it due to the wastage. I ate a massive meal at Macaroni Grill, it was only Spaghetti Bolognaise and it was ridiculously huge, the one plate would have fed our entire family. I didn't want to waste it, and ended up feeling ill for the rest of the evening. It's really not worth ploughing through the food just for the sake of it.
I've also had crazy portions at the Cheesecake Factory, but we have had normal sized portions at plenty of places too.

[JudyC]

In Bahama Breeze they do a lighter portion option on some meals. Even with this, I still shared a starter, and only had a couple of spoonfuls of my son's chocolate dessert.

[rhondaridge]

Not everywhere has huge portions, but some places are downright silly. If you do and up with a meal far to big to eat, then please leave it rather than feeling obliged to eat it due to the wastage. I ate a massive meal at Macaroni Grill, it was only Spaghetti Bolognaise and it was ridiculously huge, the one plate would have fed our entire family. I didn't want to waste it, and ended up feeling ill for the rest of the evening. It's really not worth ploughing through the food just for the sake of it.
I've also had crazy portions at the Cheesecake Factory, but we have had normal sized portions at plenty of places too.

I so agree. It is a waste to eat it all if you are full as much as it is to throw it away. We are not in the post war years with rationing anymore. And whilst it is terrible that there are so many starving in the world your eating a plateful as opposed to leaving it sadly won't help them at all.

[Quertychap]

We went to the Ming Court and I ordered breaded mushrooms as my starter. When they came they were in a basket the same size as we use at home to put hot rolls in when we have the family round. There were enough mushrooms to feed six! They were nice, though!

[mcsue]

I qiute often order another starter in place of a more traditional main course.
About half way through the holiday I find I'm just not as hungry as I really want to be.

[Happy Feet]

I don't think I could ever tackle a 3 course meal - very rarely will I have a dessert. The main meals are usually large portions that would satisfy anyone!!!

[DebbieJRoss]

When we were going to Florida everyone said about the huge steaks but we never found them that big. Maybe we are just spoilt in N.Ireland we are used to big steaks, my husband supplies beef to hotels and restaurants and was disappointed in the steaks, so if anyone knows of a good steakhouse please please let me know, my husband would be delighted if I could suggest somewhere that does a real good steak. :thumbs-up Debbie