Portion size

Sunday, December 5, 2021 2:54 PM

How important is "value" to you when you go to a restaurant. Do you choose good food with large portions? Mediocre food but all you can eat? Great food, but small portions? Do you know places that have great food and huge portions. Massachusetts has a lot of ethnic food areas and one of the cuisines is Portuguese. If you've never had Portuguese food you are missing out, especially if you love seafood. So last night we do the 75 mile one way drive to New Bedford and go to Antonio's. All Portuguese food (grilled sardines, quail, but while its Spanish, Paella there is beyond tasty. It is incredible. I get the paella for one after a Stuffed Quahog and a shrimp croquette as an appetizer. Lobster, littlenecks, mussels, shrimp, scallops beef, chicken all in a saffron broth with great rice. So I eat and eat, and eat, and eat and eat. I manage to eat half, wife claims 40%. The portion is so huge that while she's putting it into a take out container I realize I missed half a lobster tail as well as many other creatures from the sea all covered up. Those big white take out containers? Can't get all my leftovers into just one. Just a lot of amazingly tasty food, but the price? $22.95. Cannot believe this place.

19 comments

Portuguese food is awesome, been to a few great places in Cambridge, I will have to check that place out. As for food quality vs. portions, give me the best quality (whether it's a great greasy cheeseburger or a 9 course tasting) for which I don't leave hungry.

Tetradon

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2 years ago

Good food in large portions is great. Great food in small portions can be just as great if not better, especially if it's a multiple course meal or tasting menu where the portions are super small but they give you enough different things to try for it to be like a real meal. I guess it's all relative.

NinaBambina

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2 years ago

When I was younger, I sought out all you can eat places. I could eat gobs of food. Now, I get indigestion just thinking about eating what I used to. Also, my tastes have changed as my income has gone up. A quarter pounder used to be just fine. Now the thought of that grease makes me nauseous. So now, I pay for quality over quantity. I think I'll live longer because of it.

Warrior15

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2 years ago

This one of my big things while eating out. I absolutely hate getting something and leaving still feeling hungry. I need some of that sloppy family style, grandma made shit and eat my self into a coma. Then I take whatever bread I got left and soak whatever gravy sauce is left and I’m set. Don’t give me that “neat” shit.

Muddy

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2 years ago

Prefer quality to quantity I never eat a full portion anymore I always take home about half of whatever I get

twentyfive

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2 years ago

With rising food costs, I’ve seen a few places cutting down a bit on the portion size reversing the trend of mega-meals that has been gong on for the past few decades

motorhead

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2 years ago

I went to a Mexican restaurant With my sons family in a little town north of Santa Fe New Mexico and I thought the prices were high. I ordered the salmon salad. $14. very full of flavor and a nice generous portion !

Jascoi

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2 years ago

I don't mind smaller more expensive postions as long as it comes with amazing service and ambience. Then I feel I'm at least paying for the experience. Any portion of bad food at any price point is a ripoff. Its worthless if it's not edible. There are still a few great cheap places with large portions. But they're disappearing. I feel like most restaurants now offer smaller portions of poor quality slop at high prices and blame it on everything but greed and incompetence

Icee Loco (asshole)

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2 years ago

I don't mind small portions because I don't eat a lot. At most restaurants I'll get a doggy bag and eat the final half of the portion later. My exceptions are sushi and Korean BBQ. Then I'll gorge. @skibum yeah Portuguese food is rare to find but great. Love the seafood but also the longanisa sausage. I believe Portugal is where it came from but it's also a Spanish and Filipino food. I love it for breakfast with rice.

SirLapdancealot

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2 years ago

I’ll take quality over portions. Mostly because I don’t even know how people even eat entire plates at most restaurants. Most of the time I’m taking the rest home and having something convenient the next day.

nicespice

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2 years ago

Totally focused on quality now. Like Warrior I shudder at what I used to eat and the amount...

bubba267

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2 years ago

Thank you Ski - for another "food" road trip contribution!

rockie

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2 years ago

I was actually expecting Ski snark on portion control!

rockie

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2 years ago

I’ll alway go for quality over quantity. Antonio’s sound great. A few great Portuguese restaurants in the Ironbound section of Newark with great paella - I love it Now I’m hungry.

Studme53

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2 years ago

quality over quantity. However, I have noticed that portions have been shrinking as a result of Bidenflation. That's okay, they had gotten too large anyway.

gammanu95

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2 years ago

Can't stand the super small portions and huge prices, where the salad is like the size of a rocks glass and the steak looks like a peanut butter cup. I remember being in Vegas, about 15 years ago, some $100+ multi-course meal at a nice place at Mandalay Bay. As we left, my buddies were heading to a club or the tables or something, and I went the other way. One asked me where I was going, I said to get dinner. I was famished...felt like that "meal" was an appetizer. Never had Portuguese, but that Massachusetts place sounds amazing. I'd never had bacon-wrapped scallops until at a friend's wedding in NJ a few weeks ago. Ho-ly shit. I couldn't stop. Every time the girl came by offering them, I told her to just leave the tray. Alas, she wouldn't oblige.

ElDuderino_AZ

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2 years ago

Portions large enough so I don't leave hungry -- any more is a waste. I like places that provide variety as part of the meal -- an Asian restaurant lunch special which includes a main dish, appetizer, soup, and rice, a bbq where you get a meat a 2 sides, etc. I hate paying for every little side, such as at most Italian restaurants.

loper

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2 years ago

I had to smile recently when Bubba267 and I were having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. He ordered a corned beef Reuben and asked them to not put so much corned beef in the sandwich. Too difficult to eat. :)

shadowcat

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2 years ago

I refuse to trade off. I gravitate towards places that serve good food, but I also expect enough that I can fill up if I am hungry. I get irked when I go to a nice place, ordering something that looks tasty, and receive a plate with a meager portion.

rickdugan

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2 years ago

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