The 2014 "Food" Thread

[Inspector Fenwick]

The following rant should be considered in the context that I love Airventure and have, maybe, 30+ of this event under my belt. Flew in this year like the last 8 or 10 times. And.....I am definitely NOT a "foodie", but roadkill on the grill would have tasted better than what I got for 5 nights and days.

Okay, I arrived on Saturday before, and left Thursday morning. By Tuesday I was suffering from Stage IV Oshkosh Scurvy.

I am going exclude the Tall Pines Café as you can't go wrong there. Maybe it is because it is staffed and operated by volunteers?? Also the place they used to call "Aces", that is not too bad.

As for the rest..."the professionals".....gag me with a spoon. It is obvious that a contract was given to ONE company who put together this limited menu with the notion we are trapped and we will eat it and LIKE IT! The attempt at "sit down" dining near the Vintage Red Barn is just another place to eat the basic swill they served everywhere else. Sea Plane base, same deal.

I am already planning on next year. I will bring food like years before. Also I will be tankering Coke. (There is a reason it is NOT called "Crown and Pepsi").....

Please, EAA, this was awful. The only "downer" of a great Airventure...(other than the airshow performers who play that HIDEOUS Katy Perry song during their routines).

See you all next year. Flame suit on.

[CarlOrton]

Well, we don't camp on the field, so we're limited to one meal on the grounds each day. With our large small group, we typically head out to the nicer restaurants each evening as choreographed by our "social director."

That said, I basically stick to the A&W areas; the burgers/brats/dogs are "OK". I've had MUCH worse, and I've had some much better.

Try volunteering during lunch hour. The slice of bologna, slice of cheese on sandwich bread will have you giving a new appreciation to the food that *is* there. NOTE: I volunteer just about every year, and I really, sincerely, appreciate the sandwiches, snacks, and drinks provided by EAA. Saves me about $10/day lunch budget, and at least they're fresh. And, if so desired, you can have an extra sandwich or two.

But I'm low-maintenance when it comes to food.

[Tom Steber]

I really enjoyed The Machine Shed fair down in Vintage. Especially the BBQ pulled pork sandwich. I won't say how many I had during the week for fear my wife would read this post!

[spongebobiwan]

I really enjoyed The Machine Shed fair down in Vintage. Especially the BBQ pulled pork sandwich. I won't say how many I had during the week for fear my wife would read this post!

For just a small donation, I'm sure many who have read this can be convinced not to pass this information on to your wife. :)

[Inspector Fenwick]

Well, we don't camp on the field, so we're limited to one meal on the grounds each day. With our large small group, we typically head out to the nicer restaurants each evening as choreographed by our "social director."

That said, I basically stick to the A&W areas; the burgers/brats/dogs are "OK". I've had MUCH worse, and I've had some much better.

Try volunteering during lunch hour. The slice of bologna, slice of cheese on sandwich bread will have you giving a new appreciation to the food that *is* there. NOTE: I volunteer just about every year, and I really, sincerely, appreciate the sandwiches, snacks, and drinks provided by EAA. Saves me about $10/day lunch budget, and at least they're fresh. And, if so desired, you can have an extra sandwich or two.

But I'm low-maintenance when it comes to food.

Carl, yes, I have eaten quite few of those balogna sandwiches in the past. Next year will be a full length event for me and I hope to enjoy more of those.

I recall one of the nights after a rain. We walked from Vintage to the Subway west of the Vintage Red Barn...closed!!! Could not catch a break. We were dying for something "green" and I am not talking about bad ham.

I also enjoyed the ice cream at AW. Would have liked to have gone to Wendts on the Lake, and would have paid for a ride down there.

[Janet Davidson]

No scurvy here. I ate two very tasty corn on the cobs yesterday at the Reds Pizza stand outside the north end of hangar C (where I've been working all week). Delicious they were too, & healthy :)

[Bill Greenwood]

You don't come to EAA for the food. However, EAA did try to improve it 2 years ago, and the consensus seems to be that is it better than before, at least it is more varied. I really don't like Pepsi, it taste like some cough syrup, and trying to find a Dr. Pepper in Wisconsin is hard, not even many Cokes. In one way that is good, since I need to give up soft drinks and Pepsi is so bad I only drank part of one a few times. Man, I'd love to see some Texas Bar B Q here or some good sea food. But there are some places in town to get a decent dinner. And the two real rest rooms in the big hangars are a hit especially with the ladies. I'd rather have so so food and good weather like the last two years than the other way around.

[Inspector Fenwick]

Bill, I, too, would love some BBQ Texas style. Also, being prohibited from buying Coke is probably good for me, too. Janet,when we went for corn they were out so we asked "what kind of pizza do you have?" The lady at Red's Pizza said "we don't sell pizza here".

Don't take my words as criticism of EAA's efforts to produce a top quality event designed to please everyone even crusty curmudgeons like me. I will say that my planning for next year is well underway.

[L16 Pilot]

Regarding the soft drinks I opted for the 'lemonaid type' this year rather than Pepsi. I fare OK on the food although I'm not a big eater.....it's just to survive for me. I do wish the vendors would offer the smaller 8 or 12 ounce bottles rather than the big 20 oz. Just too much and generally gets thrown away. Which brings up another point: even though EAA and the vendors make an effort for folks to recycle (different containers) I'm guessing lots of recyclables wind up in the landfill.

[Janet Davidson]

Larry :(

I would have shared my corn with you if I'd known ;)

[CarlOrton]

Only bad thing with the corn is that you can't smile at anyone for an hour or so after consuming.... :P

[Mayhemxpc]

Water. There were lots of very nice bubblers around, with provisions for filling up your water bottle. Water is good and what you (or at least I) need. Along with the occasional A&W Root Beer Float. A&W was also offering fruit instead of chips in the basket. I also had corn, but I can't remember where (I got it at Tall Pines, but somewhere else, too.) Then you could always take the North 40 bus which lets you off at Friar Tucks and several other restaurants next to the Hilton. Lots of options.

[BeagleOne]

I'll put in my plea to go back to fountain soda in the waxed paper cups. There were two sizes and you could get ice, and the soda was always cold. Now, you have to buy a 20-ounce bottle, and it's not always cold because sometimes they sell so fast and the coolers are refilled so often that the drinks don't have time to chill. I saw a lot of plastic bottles in the recycling, but I also saw a lot in the trash. Very eco-unfriendly! I want to put in a plug for A&W, though...I could always get a cup of ice from them, and they were super-friendly.

The creamery ice cream just north of the Brown Arch was excellent, but the lines were ridiculous. I'd like to see more of those stands around the grounds. I'd also like to see something like the Vintage Restaurant come back by the Vintage Barn...the selection at Goolsby's was really limited.

[Inspector Fenwick]

Goolsbys....yes that is the name. Awful. The Cajun chicken tasted just like last nights hamburger. Hope they go bye bye. A&W....they were an oasis of taste.

And...sorry, I will haul and cook food before I feel the need to HAVE to leave the field just to eat. That is a lot of tram/bus/line/waiting from Vintage. Been there...done that.

[Jim Heffelfinger]

As a first timer to AV I want to add my perspective to this conversation. Spending Saturday through Saturday for the full experience. . I came to AV on a pretty tight budget and some planning worked to keep the costs down. I always ate breakfast and dinner in camp. Well, I did eat at the UL area on Monday - having a second breakfast - I was REALLY hungry. I had quality snacks during the day and ate a light lunch if at all. I found the selections reasonable but grew tired of brats as I had some in camp. Getting to a store was imperative and the kind neighbors invited me to Walmart to get food for the week. The camp store was very limited and convenience store priced. I bought 2 of the disposable coolers and doubled them up for more insulation. I was able to keep ice all week with 3 bags total. . I was able to cook one pot meals on a single burner stove for both meals. Buca di Beppo looked interesting but most things on the menu had some form of milk - and off my choices list. I liked the subway fairly near the forums/homebuilts area and made 5$ stretch a bit. I think the choices were pretty successful.

[rleffler]

I'll put in my plea to go back to fountain soda in the waxed paper cups. There were two sizes and you could get ice, and the soda was always cold. Now, you have to buy a 20-ounce bottle, and it's not always cold because sometimes they sell so fast and the coolers are refilled so often that the drinks don't have time to chill. I saw a lot of plastic bottles in the recycling, but I also saw a lot in the trash. Very eco-unfriendly! I want to put in a plug for A&W, though...I could always get a cup of ice from them, and they were super-friendly.

I share your thoughts. I wasn't able to attend last year and was surprised with all the plastic bottles. I too prefer fountain drinks with ice. Although I will admit that sometimes the fountain line was the choke point in getting food sometimes.

[mazdaP5]

Constructive criticism, food was pretty bad this year.
I travel light, so I don't bring a kitchen with me to cook at camp, I rely on food on sight. All or the restaurants on the flightline are good for lunch. Machine Shed was great, A&W, Subway, all good quality. Everything was pretty much all "do you want fries with that?". Lunch was well covered. The pizza down by homebuilts was dreadful.
Breakfast was a joke. Celebration way had cold eggs, cold english muffins, and cold sausage on order. Buca had paper thin bacon on cold muffins. I opted for cereal at camp.
Dinner options were very thin too. Aces cafe went from having a different meal every night available, to having pasta bowls available, every night. Everyone else had the same lunch options available. Do you want fries with that?

By the end of the week, the bad food, bad weather, and the Thunderbird line had me leaving early. I had a blast while I was there, but going to town for meals was no longer an option with the boggy campgrounds. It seemed that even last year had more variety than this year. Like I said before, lunch options were great, but if you are eating three meals a day on the line, it was a pretty rough week.

[FastEddie]

Well, as a 5-year veteran, I have tasted both the before and after-rehab of the food. Here's my take on it: Once again, Buca di Beppo was the best dinner food there. The best breakfast was Tall Pines Café, as usual. Both were good tasting, good portion size and good price. A&W was the best for a cool snack during the day. The best lunch was still the Church group at the front gate. All the rest was just average county-fair grub; either too expensive, too small or too pricey. Someone mentioned how Ace's Cafe' used to have a different dinner every night. True, but it was always low-grade dogfood IMHO. I would like to see more places for good dinner food like Buca di Beppo. Man cannot survive on Italian alone. Other than that, the food this year and last was much better than the pre-2013 days.

[MEdwards]

Breakfast was a joke.Take a tram south to the Tall Pines Café. Only jokes there are from the friendly people, both servers and patrons.

[Mayhemxpc]

Well, as a 5-year veteran, I have tasted both the before and after-rehab of the food. Here's my take on it: Once again, Buca di Beppo was the best dinner food there. The best breakfast was Tall Pines Café, as usual. Both were good tasting, good portion size and good price. A&W was the best for a cool snack during the day. The best lunch was still the Church group at the front gate. All the rest was just average county-fair grub; either too expensive, too small or too pricey. Someone mentioned how Ace's Cafe' used to have a different dinner every night. True, but it was always low-grade dogfood IMHO. I would like to see more places for good dinner food like Buca di Beppo. Man cannot survive on Italian alone. Other than that, the food this year and last was much better than the pre-2013 days.

+1 on all points! With the added bonus that the Sacred Heart Parish stand outside the gate is also much less expensive then anything on the grounds.

[krw920]

Not sure if it was their first year there or not, but Kellys Country Creamery had fantastic icecream! Plus I noticed a lot of the A&W stands had softserve as well.

[flyboycpa]

Since I complained last year so vehemently (on here, and over the phone with the EAA guy in charge) I feel compelled to share my feelings. We were there pretty much all week (Monday thru Sunday).

PLUSes:

1. A&W is usually always good if you want a burger, hotdog, ice cream, etc. Great staff and understandable (for a big convention) pricing.
2. The hamburger stand right outside the main entry gate (in bus lot) was a HELLUVA deal!!! About half the price of the "inside" vendors and really good!
3. That EVIL WITCH wasn't at the Seaplane Base this year…I think because they weren't sponsoring that food outlet, but regardless, she's gone! :)
4. Buca di Bepo is a great place for more upscale dining, great Italian food. We just need more upscale choices on property, if possible.
5. Overall, the staff at the various outlets were excellent!

MINUSes
1. My wife has a pretty strict diet (for medical purposes) and the lack of healthy choices was abysmal. As long as she could stomach a Caesar Salad (only FRIED chicken could be added…so much for healthy) all week, she's good right? Hardly. The Airventure App listed all the GF (gluten free) and other low calorie options were laughable. Corn on the cob….funny. Good to eat, but hardly a meal.
2. The International Food row also had limited healthy choices. Good variety for a human-dumpster like myself, but not good for my wife--therefore, Minus.
3. Have you ever heard of Dr. Pepper? I had to tanker my own in. No problem, and I'm mostly joking, but at least Coke is a more popular choice than Pepsi products.

[jjhoneck]

The Major Goolsbys tent in the North 40 was great! HUGE portions, and tasty.

I hope they return next year, although I know the biz out there drops to near-zero during the day...

[pkarmouche]

I also found the food choices disappointing. More variety is needed. And +1 vote for fountain soda please.

The hospitality tent in Homebuilts (and the outlet in Vintage) were excellent. Don't let them go away!

Paul

[FlyingRon]

The Major Goolsbys tent in the North 40 was great! HUGE portions, and tasty.

I hope they return next year, although I know the biz out there drops to near-zero during the day...

They had the same fare at the Vintage Cafe as well. Food was good and plentiful. Had some of the stuff in the international court as well and it wasn't bad. The Hangar Cafe "Machine Shed" guys are about as bad as Zaugs was.

[Paul Chandler]

Had a pulled pork sandwich on the monday from vintage area - ok but barely warm. Other days tried the subway near RV/Forum which was excellent (once the girls got the UK accent when asking for tomato) :). One minor point here was that toilets were very close to seating area and depending of wind direction could be a little smelly - not good for eating area.

[frfly172]

Looks like their trying to upgrade the food and choices. Getting better,healthy choices are not in abundance. Also does anyone realize ,that they do make caffeine free diet products?

[Mayhemxpc]

Also does anyone realize ,that they do make caffeine free diet products?

Ummm….like water? ;-) But that gives me another opportunity to say that I really appreciated the new water fountains! Who needs to pay $2 for water? Free and plenty of it!