When OK isn’t Good Enough

Wherever you go in South Africa, you will find a great place to eat. There are restaurants literally everywhere. One of the mountains that many tourists and locals enjoy climbing has a restaurant located on the peak where you can sit down and have a wholesome South African cup of tea. This restaurant is found at the top of Table Mountain . South Africans share many of the same customs as the British like drinking tea with every meal. Since tea is served often, South Africans definitely know how delicious tea taste. I suggest you try a few cups while in the country.

If you’re closer to the ocean, there are many seafood restaurants on the coast with fresh fish coming directly off the boats. One of the most popular is Cape to Cairo. This has some of the best seafood you’ll ever taste.

If you are looking for a fine dining restaurant for a romantic evening, go to the Brass Bell which is also right on the coast. This is an expensive place, but it’s worth the cost. If you’re visiting the country with your family and have small children with you, I suggest you go to Diffi’s . This is a cute little pizza parlor that has a great family environment.

If you’re not one to try new things, especially any other type of food besides American, I advise you to go to the nearest grocery store as soon as you get to Paris and load up on all the snacks you can find. French food is nothing like American food, and it’s about 1/4 the serving size. You’ll be hungry the majority of your trip, but the sites to see in Paris will distract you from your stomach growling. I’m not a big dessert eater when I go to a restaurant, but in Paris, that was by far the best course of every meal. I strongly urge you and your party to share at least a couple of desserts at every restaurant you visit.

The three restaurants that I enjoyed the most were:

• Flam’s - famous for their pizza. The pizza is not like American pizza by any means, but it’s just as tasty. If you don’t like veggies, just get the plain cheese pizza because they like to load up their pizzas with every vegetable you can imagine!
• Altitude 95 - this restaurant is located on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower.
• Hard Rock Cafe - besides McDonald’s, this is one of the most Americanized places to dine. It is two stories and has a huge bar on the bottom floor. At night it turns into a nightclub with a massive dance floor right in the middle.

Las Vegas offers hundreds of different restaurants in which to dine while visiting the city of sin. The two that are my favorite and that I had the most fun at were Margaritaville and Kahunaville.

Margaritaville is located on Las Vegas Boulevard in the Flamingo Casino. It’s a great location and a great time. It is known for its margaritas hence the name Margaritaville. There are 12 different types to choose from, and offer you the chance to build your own. I’m a big fan of strawberry and banana smoothies, so I asked for a strawberry banana margarita, which was by far the most amazing margarita ever!

Kahunaville is located in Treasure Island. This restaurant is known for its drinks as well, but what makes the experience memorable are the shows put on by the bartenders. Every hour on the hour, the bartenders have a competition between each other. They do everything from balancing bottles on their head, juggling four bottles, and even lighting the bar on fire. Warning! If you don’t like embarrassment, don’t go to this restaurant on your birthday. The bartenders will make you dance on the bar!

One thing I can guarantee that you will be satisfied with in Atlantis are the restaurants. Each one has its own theme and personality. The staff acts very professional and makes sure that each meal is prepared and served with the greatest care.

Here are the nine different restaurants to choose from:

• Bahamian Club - fine dinning for a romantic night with you and your significant other.
• Cafe at the Great Halls of Waters - casual cafe surrounded by windows offering views of the underwater ruins of Atlantis.
• Cafe Martinique - candlelit restaurant with a massive selection of different wines. Hint: only allows children over the age of 12 to enter.
• Carmine’s - offers classic Italian recipes for the family.
• Casa D’Angelo - South Florida Italian eatery.
• Fathoms - seafood restaurant with panoramic window views of the underwater Atlantis.
• Mama Loo’s - traditional Chinese recipes.
• Nobu -Japanese Cuisine.
• Seafire Steakhouse - every type of steak offered and cooked however you desire. This restaurant also is known for its selection of alcoholic drinks at the bar.

I suggest you try every restaurant but if you only have time for a few meals while in Atlantis, you should go to Fathoms. They have belly dancers and fire breathers that walk around the restaurant doing a few tricks for the guests every couple of hours.

I think it’s literally impossible to starve in the city of Austin, Texas. Austin offers all types of restaurants ranging from the traditional American burger and fries to Middle Eastern spicy cuisines. I suggest you go to Hula Hut for a meal while in town. This is a Mexican/Hawaiian restaurant that is absolutely delicious. Hint: do not go to this restaurant over the weekend; the wait ranges from an hour to three hours just to get seated! If you decide to go at the right time, I recommend you get the pineapple chicken and order a Texas Martini- by far the best alcoholic beverage I’ve ever tasted!

For lunchtime, there’s this cute little sandwich place right near downtown called Thundercloud . They are known for their smoked turkey sandwiches and I was lucky enough to see why. I’ve had a lot of sandwiches in my life, but this is by far the best. For the guacamole lovers, this will be your new favorite restaurant. They load the turkey sandwich with their own special recipe of guacamole. M’m! M’m! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!