DQOTD: (foodies) distance you'll drive for a great restaurant?

[Midpack]

Just for fun.

We regularly (every month or two) drive 40-60 miles to some of our favorite restaurants. We drove a 100+ miles out of our way, and added a day & overnight stay to a trip to try a restaurant we got turned on to thru PBS (Chef and the Farmer) - and it as worth it to us. We've chosen vacation spots with restaurants a significant factor.

I realize it'll seem daft to some/many here, but for other readers who like an occasional gourmet food fix that's (well) beyond their own abilities...

 

[Mango1956]

Funny you bring that up-today we are driving 40 miles to our favorite restaurant to celebrate DH's 60th. Here's the menu: Diavola Restaurant - Lunch & Dinner - Pizzaria Restaurant
We don't go for the pizza, but for the mains and starters, which are divine. Bon appetit!

 

[rodi]

I don't regularly drive out of my way for dining experiences... but do make a point on vacations of trying out special/foodie type places... even if it involves rearranging the trip a bit to do this.

I tend to be in a bit of a rut - I have my favorite restaurants - they're all within 12 miles, I don't eat out more than 2-3 times a month... so I just rotate through the favorites.

 

[bingybear]

I don't regularly eat out... so why would I consider driving a long distance for a meal. Now I will drive quite a way to hike a mountain and cook meals in the back woods. I expect 1000 mile + each way to the white mountains this summer. Next winter I hope to fly halfway around the world for more interesting hikes. I take a little bag of rice, lentils and spice to have a curry on the trail.... and some powdered gate-raid to replenish the electrolytes

 

[harley]

I've made 40+ mile drives to the Red Fox Inn in Middleburg VA and 75 miles once to visit the Bavarian Inn in WV. It seemed like a really long trip. This was when back when we lived in Arlington VA. Nowadays when we are on the Eastern Shore we have to drive 30 miles just to get to a Red Lobster or Ruby Tuesday.

When we are in SWFL, we have a couple hundred restaurants with 10 miles of us. Most are chains, some are excellent seafood places. For that matter we have a mediocre seafood restaurant about 100 ft. from our front door. Very different locations we live in.

 

[HFWR]

The Dairy Queen is about two miles from here...

 

[2017ish]

MidPack,

Your question targets one of our primary splurges. Can't say that we've made a long drive solely for one meal, but we have driven 8 hours each way for a weekend with two destination restaurants...

OTOH, We've flown to cities [specifically including your home!] for a weekend planned around a tasting menu with a particular chef. Given that we aren't retired, our time off is limited, but we do at least one short trip a year to a dining destination and the trip is centered on restaurants. (Napa, New Orleans, Charleston the past three years; Portland and Dundee Hills this year.) In retirement, we'll do more of this, and it is pretty likely that we will plan a trip to Northern Europe around Noma's new concept--we've gotten to know a few chefs who trained there, including the long-time sous chef.

(At our favorite local restaurant, where we got to know the former Noma sous, many fellow diners come from out of town; we've sat next to folks who've flown from the coasts primarily for a couple of meals.)

E.T.A. bolded phrase

 

[Rosie]

Yep. We'll go out for a long drive at least once or twice a month to do a bit of exploring, and of course find good eats. And now that we moved we have a whole new bunch of areas to check out! If we come across a place we really like, we'll certainly go there again. Often the destination is determined by the food there. We should probably dangle a carrot over our windshield.

One of our current favorite day trip destinations is Truckee CA, about a 1 & 1/2 hour drive for us. We'll often stop for lunch at Marty's Cafe, a nifty little place that serves fabulous meat loaf sammiches among other fine offerings. Then maybe we'll meander around local shops, check out nearby parks & hiking trails, or continue our drive around Lake Tahoe or thereabouts. Many options.

It's one of the many things we enjoy in our ER. We have the time and we have the means.

 

[W2R]

I will politely not answer this poll, since my house is centered on some of the best restaurants in the world, IMO... Some that I consider to be the best anywhere, no contest, are less than half a mile from my home.

The significant possibility of potential weight gain is more of an impediment to eating at a fine restaurant, for me, than is distance. I just can't eat at places like that more than once or twice a year. Christmas and my birthday come to mind.

 

[2017ish]

I will politely not answer this poll, since my house is centered on some of the best restaurants in the world, IMO... Some that I consider to be the best anywhere, no contest, are less than half a mile from my home.

...

N.O. definitely is among the contenders, especially for its size. DW gets us there, allegedly for "JazzFest," every other year or so--but we've never stayed at the festival after 5:00 because we need to walk back to the quarter and get ready for whichever restaurant she's reserved for that night....

 

[athena53]

DH and I must not be foodies. We moved 40 minutes from our previous address and haven't been back to the restaurants in that area since. When DS came to visit, though, the new place got bonus points for being closer than the old to Oklahoma Joe's BBQ!

 

[Rosie]

Funny you bring that up-today we are driving 40 miles to our favorite restaurant to celebrate DH's 60th. Here's the menu: Diavola Restaurant - Lunch & Dinner - Pizzaria Restaurant
We don't go for the pizza, but for the mains and starters, which are divine. Bon appetit!

Ha, I thought that name looked familiar!! Been there & enjoyed it.

Happy BD to DH!

One of our absolute favorite restaurants is a couple of doors down from there. Ever been to Catelli's? We almost moved to Santa Rosa, and if we did we'd be bopping up to Geyserville a lot. But from where we are now it's too long of a drive for solely a dinnertime destination.

Hmmm, that said, one of our fave lunch places in the Santa Rosa area is Betty's Fish & Chips, best fish & chips we've had in a real long time. And oh gee, we can combine a fish & chips fix with a couple of errands ... hmmm.

 

[Rosie]

I will politely not answer this poll, since my house is centered on some of the best restaurants in the world, IMO... Some that I consider to be the best anywhere, no contest, are less than half a mile from my home.

Nice!

The significant possibility of potential weight gain is more of an impediment to eating at a fine restaurant, for me, than is distance.

There is that! DH & I tend to eat lunch out more often than dinner, so portions tend to be smaller. Sort of. And we've gotten very good at either splitting orders or taking home doggie bags.

 

[Meadbh]

I had a test of this recently. A dining out group that I belong to arranged an event at a restaurant 30 km away. I decided that was too far. I later heard that the restaurant was too crowded and the food was meh. So I made a good decision.

When I am planning a trip, having a good selection of restaurants is a plus. But I would be unlikely to travel far to eat at one specific restaurant, unless there was some other reason, like a birthday party or an evening at the theatre.

 

[Nemo2]

That's an easy question.

- We wouldn't.

- We don't "Dine", we "Grab something to eat".

- And, as an adjunct, since we regard food as fuel, we'd no more get 'dressed up' to eat out than we would to fill up the gas tank in the car.

 

[Walt34]

I've made 40+ mile drives to the Red Fox Inn in Middleburg VA and 75 miles once to visit the Bavarian Inn in WV.

That's one of the advantages(??) of living where we do. We don't go that often, but I still don't want to think about how much we've spent at the Bavarian Inn over the years. Throw a dart at the menu and it's going to be good. It's a reasonably short drive. More often we'll go to someplace a lot cheaper like Ruby Tuesdays or a local Mom & Pop place.

 

[W2R]

That's one of the advantages(??) of living where we do. We don't go that often, but I still don't want to think about how much we've spent at the Bavarian Inn over the years. Throw a dart at the menu and it's going to be good. It's a reasonably short drive. More often we'll go to someplace a lot cheaper like Ruby Tuesdays or a local Mom & Pop place.

I've been there, with a group from my (former) agency on our way to a retreat nearby. It was nice and the wait staff was very nice to me.

 

[Ronstar]

We hardly ever go more than 10 miles just to dine out. But will combine a nice restaurant with other activities farther out.


Sent from my iPhone .using Early Retirement .//82339)

 

[Moemg]

The absolute best meal I have had in a long time was grouper that my neighbor caught and I cooked it in creole sauce so no driving required . We do like to try out different restaurants but since we are surrounded with restaurants the drive is short .

 

[imoldernu]

Half mile.

 

[wannabe]

Geyserville restaurants

We live 30 miles north. Like Diavolo, but love, love Catelli's. Try their lasagne -- incredibly thin sheets of pasta.

Going to Diabolo next Sunday with friends.

 

[mn54]

I recently saw a documentary about these 4 extreme foodies. Money is no object. They fly all around the world to go to the top restaurants. They all write blogs and are well known in the foodie world. Their are 109 3 star michelin restaurants in the world and one of these 4 has gone to all of them. The name of the doc is Foodies.

 

[swakyaby]

We drove 65 miles for a 3 Michelin star restaurant in Napa Valley area. It required no less than 1 year advance reservation.

 

[Midpack]

We drove 65 miles for a 3 Michelin star restaurant in Napa Valley area. It required no less than 1 year advance reservation.

Sounds like TFL. We ate there, it was excellent but not worth the $, resting on their laurels nowadays? Glad we went once, but we wouldn't go back.

 

[swakyaby]

Sounds like TFL. We ate there, it was excellent but not worth the $, resting on their laurels nowadays? Glad we went once, but we wouldn't go back.

Definitely not for your average American diner. I was glad to experience it as a once-in-a-lifetime event, enjoyed the experience, but do not relish ever paying that kind of price for 4 guests again. (By the way, the tip was already included in the total, something not quite obvious until my DH wisely inquired.)