I apologize. John Mace is right, and I tried to bluster my way out of it. The border is where the border is, and Tijuana is a Mexican town.
They actually have some American restaurants in Spain. Here is a review of one chain, Foster’s Hollywood in Madrid.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/madrid/D3452.html
Here’s an excerpt describing what’s on the menu.
"The varied menu includes Tex-Mex selections, ribs, steaks, sandwiches, freshly made salads, and, as its signature product, hamburgers grilled over natural charcoal. "
I remember the hamburgers as probably worse than anything I’d had in the states, but better than any others I had in Spain. They also had a delicious dessert called a Brownie, which was essentially a warm brownie with sauce, maybe icecream.
There was another similar chain, with perhaps more of a diner feel, called Bob’s, but they seem to be out of business.
There used to be an American-themed restaurant in Trondheim, though it went out of business about ten years ago. The specialty of the house was ribs with assorted sauces/glazes. Also served barbecued chicken and some grilled items, if I remember correctly.
We’ve got a couple T.G.I. Friday’s in Oslo now; they promote themselves as American restaurants. Menu’s about the same as in the States, I think.
Seconded. Most ofthe other foods mentioned so far can be found round the world (at least in speciality places), bu breakfast sausage, hash browns and eggs-over-easy exist only in America.
Pizza & Burgers
Yeah, pizza’s Italian in origin but when I’m away I really miss made in the USA pizza.
Burgers have been covered.
It would be nice to be able to have an American breakfast: Pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs, omelets, biscuits, bagels, etc. Better yet make breakfast available at any time.
Why the hell is this thread in GQ?
I guess because I thought it had factual answers possible. My question was, essentially, “What do other parts of the world regard as typical American food?” That’s what I wanted to know and that’s what folks are relating to me. Is this a problem for you?
I would serve Roast Leg of American, of course. With Honey Mustard Sauce.
What?
EVERYBODY knows you serve Roast Leg of American with ketchup, you uncultured ingrate! :wally
This is a selction from the menu from the Joe Allens NY restaurant in Paris :
Starters
Cream of Mushroom Soup or Black Bean Soup
Deep Fried Smelt with Lemon
Marinated Artichoke Heart and Arugula Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
Walnut Crusted Goat’s Cheese with Mixed Salad and Cranberry Chutney
Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce
Grilled Vegetable Antipasti with Fresh Goat Cheese
Cheese Quesadilla with Jalapenos, Tomato Salsa, Guacamole and Cream
Baked Eggplant with Mozzarella, Roasted Peppers, Pesto and Tomato Sauce with Basil
Salads
Caesar Salad
Chef’s Salad
Spinach Salad with Mushrooms, Avocado, Tomato, Bacon and Blue Cheese Dressing
Chicken and Vegetable Slaw Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette
Entrees
Chili Con Carne with Tortillas, Tomato Salsa, Guacamole and Sour Cream
Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese and Toasted Bagel
Fresh Pasta with Chanterlle Mushrooms, Cream, Garlic and Parmesan
Marinated Jerk Chicken with Black Rice and Tomato Salsa
Louisiana Fried Chicken, Honey and Ginger, Spinach Salad and Ranch Potatoes
Barbecue Spare Ribs with Corn on the Cob and Baked Potato
Grilled Lamb Chops with Grilled Polenta and Ratatouille
Pan-fried Calf’s Liver with Bacon and Mashed Potatoes
Grilled T-bone Steak with Baked Potato and Sauteed Onions
I made the mistake of eating in a couple of these when I was in Hong Kong. It must be how Chinese people feel at a western Chinese restaurant: iit’s a bizarre pastiche, not just of American food, but of “Western” cuisine. The awful decor and the borscht on the menu made me think they were Chinese versions of Russian food.
As for opening an American restaurant abroad, there are lots of them around here, and they all serve burgers and steak. I’d say to be successful you need to play to stereotypes and expectations, then slip your genuinely unusual ethnic foodstuffs onto the menu in the hope that the more adventurous will try them.
I’ve only scanned the thread, but y’all seem to have overlooked one very American dish: chicken-fried steak with cream gravy. Now that’s good eatin’!
Everyone knows that asking European chefs for ketchup is an insult.
We must accomidate.
BTW–in the event that we offer Veal, should we use Little Leaguer or Campfire Girl? The Campfire Girl is more tender, but the Little Leaguer has a leaner, less fatty cut…
Those kinds of dishes can certainly be found in American restaurants, although generally only in the more upscale/pretentious ones. Restaurants like Applebee’s, TGI Friday’s, Tony Roma’s (ribs and steaks), and the ubiquitous local pizza parlor are more representative of popular foods. Of course, here in the Bay Area you can probably get food from anywhere in the world if you look hard enough.
[Huey Freeman]Granddad, you can’t serve that kind of food to people! It could cause… death![/Huey Freeman]
That used to be the blue plate special at the Donner Party Diner. Came with a side order of tree bark, as I recall.
Such a shame that chain folded up.
I don’t think anybody mentioned it yet, but you simply MUST have two things:
(1) Ice.
(2) Free refills.
That’s America.
- Peter Wiggen
Amen.
And not just ice, but a whole damned glass of it. I remember being in France and asking for ice in my Coke, and watching the person fish one cube out of their bucket and delicately place it in the drink then look at me like I was insane.
As for food… I think I’d have to put chicken-fried steak and cream gravy on the menu.
As a matter of fact, I’m cooking that for dinner some time this week. Who knew I was cooking an American classic?
Ham on rye. Gulden’s spicy brown mustard.
No lettuce, no tomato.
Swiss cheese if you absolutely must.
Cuppa joe.
Blueberry pie.
American Bliss.
You can get breakfast sausage in the UK.
You might be surprised. That’s a fun thing to do in a foreign city- go to a restaurant that you have at home, and see how the menu offerings are different. You usually find at least one thing that they serve overseas that they wouldn’t at home, or vice versa. And, of course, the same menu item might not taste the same at all in two different countries, because of changes that get made for local tastes.
The restaurant would have to serve Starbucks-style coffee drinks made with skim milk. I remember going to a Starbucks in London and trying to get a coffee drink made with skim milk (like I always do in the States when I order a coffee drink), and getting some very strange looks. We might offer other milk options for people who don’t want to be authentic 
There would also be bottomless pots of regular coffee, free soda refills, and you’d get a glass of tap water with ice without having to ask for it.
And there would have to be hush puppies.