columbia vs greenville vs florence (food, park, places)

[sandlapper]

Yeah the P.F. Changs I ate at in Louisville, and here in Lexington left much to be desired as well. Very unique architecture though I will give them that.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by sandlapper

Yeah the P.F. Changs I ate at in Louisville, and here in Lexington left much to be desired as well. Very unique architecture though I will give them that.

PF Changs is all right, but nothing special. I find the Miyo's group in Columbia (Miyo's, M Cafe, M Vista) to be more interesting with a more diverse menu.

[gsupstate]

Originally Posted by sandlapper

Yeah the P.F. Changs I ate at in Louisville, and here in Lexington left much to be desired as well. Very unique architecture though I will give them that.

Yeah, P.F.Changs is good but not great (they do have great drinks). You can find them all around the country in almost all middle to upper end malls. Glad Greenville has one though. But in Greenville, I find Peter Lieu's restaurants (Lieu's and Azia) to be much more interesting with more appeal.
Azia - Greenville SC Fine Dining, Greenville SC Restuarant, Greenville SC Sushi, Greenville SC Wine
Welcome to Lieus Chinese Bistro

[motonenterprises]

Originally Posted by gsupstate

Yeah, P.F.Changs is good but not great (they do have great drinks). You can find them all around the country in almost all middle to upper end malls. Glad Greenville has one though. But in Greenville, I find Peter Lieu's restaurants (Lieu's and Azia) to be much more interesting with more appeal.
Azia - Greenville SC Fine Dining, Greenville SC Restuarant, Greenville SC Sushi, Greenville SC Wine
Welcome to Lieus Chinese Bistro

PF Changs may not be all that great, but wouldn't you rather have one than not have one? I'll agree that Lieu's is much better. I haven't been into Azia.

[Ceezer]

Originally Posted by CarolinaSouth803

The only uber popular chains restuarant located downtown are Longhorn Steakhouse and IHOP

Plus Damon's, Mellow Mushroom, Carolina Ale House (not "uber popular", but still a NC chain in 3 states; I wish they'd also bring a Showmar's down here), The Flying Saucer, Wild Wing Cafe, Five Guys, Ruth's Chris, California Chicken Grill, etc...

Plus plenty of fast-food options like McD's, Subway, Sonic, Jimmy John's, etc.

Yeah, there are some options for a unique dining experience downtown, but I wouldn't say it stands apart from anywhere else.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by motonenterprises

PF Changs may not be all that great, but wouldn't you rather have one than not have one? I'll agree that Lieu's is much better. I haven't been into Azia.

Honestly I would always rather give business to a good, locally-owned establishment so no, PF Changs doesn't really mean anything. I won't say I never eat or shop at chains, but I strive not to. We live in one of the poorest states in the country and I'd rather see our money stay here in South Carolina whenever possible.

[motonenterprises]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

Honestly I would always rather give business to a good, locally-owned establishment so no, PF Changs doesn't really mean anything. I won't say I never eat or shop at chains, but I strive not to. We live in one of the poorest states in the country and I'd rather see our money stay here in South Carolina whenever possible.

Thats understandable. I actually enjoy chains though and invite them whole heartedly. Most people traveling through tend to look for chains they are familiar with so they definetly have there place.

[Akhenaton06]

You do have a point; people are comfortable with what they know. But honestly, I'd rather get Chinese from a cheap corner take-out joint than at PF Changs. They're overrated.

[motonenterprises]

Originally Posted by Akhenaton06

You do have a point; people are comfortable with what they know. But honestly, I'd rather get Chinese from a cheap corner take-out joint than at PF Changs. They're overrated.

Does taste better doesn't it? PF Changs just has a nice cosmopolitan feel to it. I guess thats why I like it, even though I haven't been but about 3 or 4 times.

[CarolinaSouth803]

Originally Posted by Ceezer

Plus Damon's, Mellow Mushroom, Carolina Ale House (not "uber popular", but still a NC chain in 3 states; I wish they'd also bring a Showmar's down here), The Flying Saucer, Wild Wing Cafe, Five Guys, Ruth's Chris, California Chicken Grill, etc...

Plus plenty of fast-food options like McD's, Subway, Sonic, Jimmy John's, etc.

Yeah, there are some options for a unique dining experience downtown, but I wouldn't say it stands apart from anywhere else.

I agree...I was just basically saying the Columbia does have local options in it's city center. If you notice in my post i say "local, state or regional chains". By saying that i was acknowledging the downtown having chains like "Jillian's, Mellow Mushroom, Fly Saucer, Wild Wings, Carolina Ale House, Marble Slab, Sandy's, and etc. But thoses are regional chains at best...while Ruth Chris, Five Guys and California Chicken Grill are well know over a larger area. Like ex....Flying Saucer only has 13 locations...most in Texas and the rest are all in the south...except the KC location. Does that mean it's popular and well known....i doubt it...in fact most people think it's a SC bar that don't know it's a location in Raleigh and Charlotte.