Riverside / Avondale vs. SJTC as a Dining Destination

[Brian Siebenschuh]

I pulled the SJTC listings directly from the Simon Malls website which… sucks?  It appears that the places on the outskirts like Chik-Fil-A, Whisky River, Blackfinn, BJ’s, Chipotleâ€" none of those were listed, so I’ve filled in the ones I could think of.  I know I’m also missing some fast food places at SJTC, but the official list did include Firehouse, Subway, and Panera?  Both of these lists are incomplete â€" please chime in with anything I’ve missed.  At any rate, it’s kind of an interesting comparison, especially since at the rate that they’re building that thing out, SJTC will soon enough be larger than R/A :-)

And we can all hate on the chains as much as we want to, but there’s plenty of industrially produced food in a bag that’s being thawed and heated up for you in “local” restaurants; it’s expensive to make food from scratch, and I don’t expect everybody to do so, but even if I’m eating food that I know came from a factory, I’d prefer that a little more of my money stay in the local economy.  And so here’s the list - version 1.0 shows Riverside Avondale firmly in the lead...

SJTC
5 Guys
Auntie Anne’s Pretzels
Blackfinn
BJ’s
California Pizza Kitchen
Cantina Laredo
Capital Grille
Cheesecake Factory
Chipotle
Chik-Fil-A
Crispers
Firehouse Subs
J. Alexander’s
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Mitchell’s Fish Market
Panera Bread
P.F. Chang’s
Qdoba Mexican Grill
Renna’s Pizza
Seasons 52
Subway
Sushi House
Ted’s Montana Grille
The Art of Shaving (WTF is this place serving?)
Whisky River
YOBE Frozen Yogurt

Riverside / Avondale

13 Gypsies
5 Guys
Al’s Pizza
Alpha Dog
Bakery Moderne
Biscottis
Brick
Burger King
Carmine’s
China Joy
Cool Moose
Cozy Tea
Domo Crepes
Einstein Bros.
Espeto
European Street
Firehouse Subs
Hovan
International Grill
Judson’s
Kickbacks
Harpoon Louie’s
Hot Wok
Larry’s Giant Subs
Mossfire
O’Brothers
Orsay
Panda House
Papa John’s
Pastiche / The Patio @
Pele’s Wood Fire
Pine Grove Deli
Pizza Italian
Pizza Palace
Sake House
Soup’s On
Sumo Sushi
Subway
Tasti D Lite
The Fox
The Loop
‘Town
Wasabi Buffet
Wendy’s (unfortunately, the 5 Points Wendy’s is the worst Wendy’s I’ve ever been to…)

[Tonyinchicago]

Blue Fish my friend.  Freudian slip on your part?  Packin them in and setting the standard for what a seafood restaurant should be in the heart of Avondale. 

[BridgeTroll]

Casbah...

[avs]

There is also the Goal Post Sandwich Shop in Avondale

And I agree, I'd rather give my money to a locally owned restaurant than a chain anyday.  We rarely eat at the Town Center, why drive out there when we are surrounded with so much deliciousness

[KenFSU]

It's Apples and Oranges, and both have their merits.

Off the top of my head, you're missing the following at the Town Center (mostly fast food):

Bento
Panda Express
Mochi (you're missing this in Riverside as well)
Pollo Tropical
Arby's
McDonalds
Wendy's

A lot of the places you mentioned aren't included on the Simon list because the Markets at Town Center is a seperate development from the Town Center, developed by Pinehill instead of Simon.

[undergroundgourmet]

Mojo's #4
Michael's Deli
Let Them Eat Cake!
Primi Patti
Green Lake
Fuji Sushi
St Vincent's hospital (hell, its a good hot cheap breakfast on the river)
yobe
Choux Bakery
Florida Creamery
can we count Moon River? I can walk to either Moon River or 5 points in the same amount of time

[thelakelander]

Kind of hard to compare a neighborhood to a couple of shopping centers designed to cater to larger auto oriented regional population.  What are the boundaries of SJTC are you all going by?  The actual mall owned by Simon or the surrounding area, which includes Tinseltown and Tapestry Park?

[cline]

Michael's Deli, near St. Vincents.

[CG7]

The good thing is we have both. Just coose what kind of experience you want to have, and dine in that loaction. I live in Avondale, so I'm partial. I also think it is good for us that we have two completely different options.

[blizz01]

Hmm - Is it OK if I eat at Firehouse while at Town Center?

[Tacachale]

Yeah, I don't know about this comparison... a mall is specifically designed to concentrate food and retail in one place and attract folks not just from the surrounding area, but the whole city. Riverside is, well, a neighborhood that has people living in it.

A better comparison might be "the part of the Southside around and including the St Johns Town Center, vs. Riverside-Avondale". Or if RA's too small, perhaps "Greater Riverside including Murray Hill, Fairfax, Brooklyn, etc." There you might see some good comparisons. You'd see the differences in population size, types of restaurants, and concentration per capita.

[L.P. Hovercraft]

Another one for Riverside (eventually): Derby on Park. 
And I know they're more of a coffee shop than an eatery, but what about Bold Bean?

If you expand out to Murray Hill and count Moon River, don't forget Crazy Egg and Dreamette too.

[Brian Siebenschuh]

Obviously not a scientific comparison in any way, just a weird thought that popped into my head - probably triggered by the fact that we've had a couple new places open in Riverside recently. 

[goldy21]

Didn't see Whiteway on your list.

[thelakelander]

This thread is making me hungry.