recommendations: eating out

It has been requested that I come up with a list of places to eat out in Sydney -- reasonably priced endeavors that American tourists would be interested in popping in to, in particular.  I must preempt this list with a few caveats.  First, I am a terrible judge of food.  I like what I like, but I think I have rather low-brow taste.  Fine dining is not my forte.  Second, I just eat wherever I happen to end up.  There could be an amazing place just around the corner, but if I never happen to make it around that corner, well, er, sorry.  You might want to explore yourself and see what you can find.  Third, I'm sure there should be another caveat along these lines, but I can't think of it at the moment.  Consider yourself forewarned though.  That being said, a few places that tend to spring to mind:

--City Extra.  Right at Circular Quay, perfect if you've just missed a ferry and need a place to lick your public transportation wounds.  Also 24 hours, which is a huge, huge rarity.  Reasonably priced for Sydney, which is saying absolutely nothing.  The menu's pretty big and comes like a newspaper, which is pretty cool.  Bathrooms tend to be clean, though the lighting drives me a little crazy.  Pretty fun to sit outside if it's warm enough.  Caters for three meals a day, being 24 hours.  A good default sort of place.

--Pretty much any Thai place.  Stir Crazy, Sam Thai, Chat Thai, etc, etc, etc.  Usually fast, big servings and delicious.  You'll feel incredibly full afterwards, plus it's a pretty Sydney experience because they're everywhere, especially in the Lower North Shore.  No, seriously.  Like three in one block.  They're not my favorite and I don't really want Thai more than once a month, but would be good to check out as a tourist.

--Doyle's at Watson's Bay is the one everyone talks about.  I think there's a nice restaurant that's really pricey, and then also a more takeaway place that's closer to reasonable.  I'd go the takeaway and make a picnic out of it for lunch.

--Jamie Oliver does have a restaurant in Sydney now too, at 107 Pitt Street.  (I'm in that neck of the woods a lot, okay?)  I went once and was pleasantly surprised.  Prices not out of control and the food was good ... though you definitely need to make a book any night of the week.

--There's a pizza place on George Street in the Rocks that I've liked before but the most recent time I went the pizza wasn't all that great.  Think it might be hit and miss.  If you're ordering pizza, Crust is great.  Really worth doing for a picnic or something.  They're all over the place.

--Speaking of picnics, the chicken shops are awesome for salads -- really good salads, like salmon and lemongrass and chicken and lots more really good ones.  Char-grill Charlie's or its type are great.  Sydney's so photogenic, it makes lots more sense to grab food and eat it in a nice location than to find a good restaurant.

--For fast lunches, Guzman and Gomez or Mad Mex are great fast Mexican places, much like a Qdoba or Chipotle's.

--Baja Cantina on Glebe Point Road is my favorite Mexican for dinner.  It seems to be a bit love it or hate it.  Some of my friends have loved it, others hated it.

--Glebe Point Road in general is a good place to start looking for lots of different kinds of restaurants.  King Street in Newtown would also be a good place, as would Darlinghurst, Paddington or Surry Hills.  Whatever kind of food you like, you can pretty much find.

--I've heard that Jonas on Whale Beach (insert obligatory "HA" here) is the place to go for a super-duper snazzy meal.  It'd take ages to get there, but it'd be stunning in every way.

--Various cafes I've blogged about before would be good lunch or coffee stops -- Chaos in Neutral Bay, Sparrow in Crow's Nest, Two Good Eggs on Goulburn Street.

--Pubs!!  How could I forget the pubs?  Very Australian.  About as reasonable of prices as you'll find (which is still saying nothing).   Good experience.  Yeah, try a pub.

That's really all I've got.  For goodness' sake, just walk around and find something that looks good in the moment.  Like I said, I'm a bad one to come to for food advice.  Just beware that the late afternoon can be a very frustrating time to find anything -- anything! -- serving food, and the CBD in general is not a great spot for dining.  Otherwise -- have fun and happy munching!