This is a great article about ethnic food in Gainesville. I didn't post it to Gatornews, but in my opinion, it should be.
Oliver Dave Carlson's guide to ethnic food in Gainesville By DAVID CARLSON Special to the Sun Published: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 12:39 a.m. Trust me, brothers and sisters. <http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080827/NEWS/808280293/1006/NEWS&tc =email_newsletter##> Rob C. Witzel / The Gainesville Sun Virtually Cuban co-owner Shawn Nichols lifts the press on a Cuban sandwich in the restaurant's kitchen Monday May 05, 2004. I know it's against your better judgment because I'm old, the way over 30 sort of old. I'm so old that if you believe you can't trust anyone over 30, you would have stopped trusting me before you were born. But you should trust me now anyway, even as I give you some really old school advice - clip this column, or bookmark it, because you're going to want it later. This is about food, the staff of life, or at least the stuff of life. Sooner or later, and it probably will be sooner, you're going to get tired of all that faux food they serve on campus. Burger King, Moe's, Wendy's, Taco Bell and Chick-fil-A may seem like heaven now, but it won't take long to get dull. In a week or two, or a month or two for the truly palate dead among you, you'll be looking for a change. That's when you should pull out this column and follow my instructions very carefully. Want Chinese food? You won't find much in the way of Chinese in this town. Let me rephrase that. You will find many Chinese restaurants; you just won't find many good ones. Mr. Han's is the exception. Think Japanese and you will be much happier. Your friends all will tell you about Dragonfly Sushi, and they are not wrong. Dragonfly has very good food and is a great place to see and be seen. It's a very popular - and pretty expensive - date spot, but my advice is to try Miya Sushi, and when you do, check out the Korean food they have there. It's all good and most of it's way spicy. We are fairly well blessed here with Vietnamese restaurants. All of them are decent. Saigon Legend is just a quick walk east of campus. It's decidedly not fancy but serves a fine bowl of pho. Taste of Saigon is more upscale and a bit better, but Hanoi Pho is the newest and most authentic. For pan-Asian food, there are at least three good choices. Liquid Ginger is upscale but reasonably priced, great for dates. Chopstix is a little greasy these days but does a surprisingly good job with Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malay and more, and you can watch the alligators glide by on Bivens Arm. Bento Cafe has two locations with upscale decor and counter service. I think of Bento more as a lunch place than a dinner one, though, unless I'm looking for a quick bite on the way to the movies on Newberry Road. Mexican? For my money, there is only one Mexican restaurant in Gainesville. It's called La Tienda, and the food is as authentic as any you will find this side of Texas. But don't go there expecting Chi Chi's. This is the real stuff. Nearer to campus, I love the far less authentic burritos at Tortilla Flats. Other people (and probably your Gator parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents) swear by Burrito Brothers, but I've never caught that fever. Indian food? We don't have a lot of Indian restaurants in Gainesville, but we do have one worth visiting. Conveniently enough, it's called "Indian Cuisine," which I will readily agree is not the most creative name for a restaurant. The lunch buffet costs about $12, but you won't be disappointed, especially on Saturdays when they usually have a lamb dish. The best bet, though, is to order from the menu at dinnertime. Italian? That's a tougher proposition. We have some good Italian restaurants such as Amelia's, Leonardo's 706 and Nero's, but my current favorite is Fresco. It's lame for any critic to admit this, but I'm also partial to - heaven forbid - a chain. I think Carrabba's does an amazing job night after night. Pizza? You'll have to decide for yourself among the zillions of student-oriented, "bargain" pizza-delivery joints. But when you want real pizza, consider Satchel's, Blue Highway and Leonardo's 706, but none of them deliver as far as I know. For slices near campus, my pick is I Love N.Y. Pizza rather than Leonardo's by the Slice or even the legendary Italian Gator. Cuban? It depends. My favorite Cuban sandwich is the Havana Cuban at Virtually Cuban. I like the Ropa Vieja at Fritanga Latin Grill, and the Picadillo at La Familia. Last but not least, if you must eat lunch on campus, by far the best and most healthful place for my money is the Arrendondo Room on the 4th floor of the Reitz Union. It is not open at night or on weekends, but it offers a lunch buffet and salad bar for around $8 including drink. David Carlson has been writing about food and wine for more than 15 years. He can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI Real Estate Broker Halo Realty, LLC 700 E. Main St. Hendersonville TN 37075 [EMAIL PROTECTED] office: 615-822-3509 fax: 615-822-7741 mobile: 615-972-4239 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
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