Favorite chain restaurant

[Jake]

Dont know exactly what you referring to as to "throwing in the towel" or eating dogshit. Neither one was accomplished by moi. Waited for a reasonable amount of time in one place, when it became obvious the place sucked (a local place), we left. Plain and simple.

And believe me, I have travelled for business all over U.S. and overseas as well. Eating out gets old after a while, no matter where you go. And lets be honest, eating at Ruth Chris or Morton's or the like everyday is a bit on the pricy side. The only reason I asked for chain restaurants is because they are everywhere for the most part, v.s. local mom and pop shops who require a specific location. I love Chipotle, but didnt see one in Jacksonville, NC. And for those familiar with the area, well you know the deal. There are a few good local places, the question was regarding chains. I guess maybe some of us are just too good to be eating at Olive Garden and the likes.....

Another clarification, I dont mean where to go once, I know Ruth Chris and the likes are great, been to those before. The post is in mind of you being on the road for a couple weeks at a time and around military bases...

Anyway, looks like for some this is turning into another Dweb thread of bashing certain things and appearing better than others. Wheeling and dealing trying to be as cheap as it comes to parts/vehicles, but then apparently quite a few eat breakfast/lunch/dinner at Ruth Chris.

naw, but when I travel, I was/am usually on an expense account, so I go good places. Nothing wrong with Olive Garden, love the salad & breadsticks. Buca DeBepo for Italian, though, it kicks ass. I dont usually get Mexican much past OK or out west, and I try to stick to local places, although when we have a big crowd, On The Border is ok.
I like Indian food, not many if at all chains in that genre':victory:

 

[DiscoJen]

PF Changs? Holy smokes!

Suck it Mike, you food/coffee/liquor snob! For the record I like McDonalds, too. I also love to check out local hole in the wall joints when I'm somewhere new, but there are just times when I'm feeling homesick and want something comforting and familiar. And tacky chain restaurants fit the bill for that. But then again, I also like truck stop joints, especially because I can usually earn money dancing on the tables so it's a win-win for me. And dancing is better than being a lot lizard.

 

[Jake]

oh, and Texas Road House and all the copies of it suck ass....poor quality meat, etc. If you are going to get a steak at that price range, go the Outback, I like their rock lobsters too.

 

[Ballah06]

naw, but when I travel, I was/am usually on an expense account, so I go good places. Nothing wrong with Olive Garden, love the salad & breadsticks. Buca DeBepo for Italian, though, it kicks ass. I dont usually get Mexican much past OK or out west, and I try to stick to local places, although when we have a big crowd, On The Border is ok.
I like Indian food, not many if at all chains in that genre':victory:

Yeah, some places reimburse you what you spend type deal or some pay straight per diem for the area, regardless if you spend $5 or $100 a day on food. And that dont get you far usually,without dipping into your own pockets, which happens often of course.

 

[Ballah06]

oh, and Texas Road House and all the copies of it suck ass....poor quality meat, etc. If you are going to get a steak at that price range, go the Outback, I like their rock lobsters too.

I personally liked the way steak tasted at TRH better. Any specific input on the meat quality?

 

[Jake]

I personally liked the way steak tasted at TRH better. Any specific input on the meat quality?

I found the cut of the steak better at Outback, and it seemed to be less chewy. both are fresh, didnt mean that , but Outback has less fat and gristle...the crowds are not as bad either, not as many mom n dad with 5 screaming kids....

 

[David Kronenfeld]

Moe's or Pei Wei are pretty reliable. Too bad Pappy's isn't a chain... Y'all outside the Lou don't know what you're missing.

 

[Jake]

And if you are eating around military bases, consider going local foreign: there are literally shitloads of great ethnic food around a base area that cities w/o bases might never see.

 

[noee]

Chachkis is my favorite. Flingers is good too. They're usually right next door to each other in the strip mall, so if one is super-busy, you can just waddle on over to the other. Don't forget your flair.

 

[ptschram]

I don't always agree with Mike Rupp and occasionally, we disagree vigorously.

This is one area where I can't agree with him more. When I traveled for business, I either ate at my hotel restaurant as there was no arguing over the expense account, or I looked for local steakhouses. If you find a restaurant in the phone book and there are more than a few listings for the same last name, you've got the right place. In Fort Wayne, the Hall's family is synonymous with pretty good food and good prices.

That said, I was quite proud the other day when I was cooking the evening meal and realized that the only additives to the food I was cooking was something along the lines of some calcium chloride to keep one of the spices from caking!

We eat in almost every evening-it's quite an event for us to not eat at home. My wife's father ran family-style restaurants and he hasn't eaten a meal at a restaurant in more than 20 years. I think Garrett has put it well too, the best food you can get is local and fresh. Fortunately, I have a grocery store where the meat counter folks can tell you which farm most of the beef came off of and the guy who is behind the counter mows my lawn, plows my snow and his mother's Rover comes here!

 

[yesmar]

chilis or chipotle for chains....if i must. course here we have neato burrito too

i was going to say neato for my number one. i thought that place was just a central pa thing, i dunno... you cant beat 5 pounds of GREAT burrito for 6 bucks

 

[bovw]

Who said anything about eating expensively? You pick a big city and I bet that I can find great food that costs half as much as Morton's.

On my recent work trip to VA Beach, everyone wanted to hit the Capt Georges buffett at $35. I asked around and was told about the Thirsty Camel. Hit that up the last night for the special. Total dive bar with pool tables right on the Bay. 8 oz steak, 3 jumbo shrimp, fries or baked, salad, and bread for $9.99. 3 guys didn't like the atmosphere and went back to Capt Georges again. For a total of $14.15 tip included, I was out the door and couldn't eat another bite.

When I graduated Paris Island in 88, Dad asked about the best seafood in town. The guy at the hotel asked if they wanted atmosphere or food. Dad aid food and was sent to a dive with the best seafood he'd ever eaten.

Ask around, you can find good, inexpensive food anywhere. I San Antonio, the guys selling taco's in the Murcado on the sidewalk kick ass.

As for Jacksonville, If it's still there, go to The Flying Bridge in Swansboro. It's just down the road and is good. Rielly's in Sneads Ferry is also good, if it's still there. They had a killer shrimp salad on toasted rye...

 

[Mike_Rupp]

Paul, you'll appreciate this: back when I lived in the midwest, my largest customer was in Milford, IN. Milford is so damn small if you blink, you'll miss it. Even in Milford, it is no more than a 5 minute drive from some mighty fine fried local fish.

Another thing I do when I'm traveling somewhere is to ask a taxi driver where the best restaurants. I let them answer knowing full well that they will recommend a tourist trip since that's what the standard fare is looking for. I then counter, "no, the place where you go to eat". Then get the drift and you get the good stuff.

One thing that I love about the Seattle area is that chain restaurants are, for the most part, avoided like the plague. The local Chilis went out of business. The other thing I love is the availability of great ingredients. If I want good beef, there is a great butcher 10 minutes away. If I want to get raw milk (umm, the stuff that comes out of the cow and goes straight into the bottle and doesn't look like homogenized, pasteurized white milk) it is only 10 minutes away. Thank God that the people here have good taste and there is a demand for good ingredients.

Ballah, you were in North Carolina and couldn't find good food? I'm no NC expert. I've been there twice for a total of maybe 5 days combined, but it seemed that everywhere we went, you couldn't drive five miles without passing a local bbq joint. That stuff is fucking fantastic and you could feed 10 people for under $100.

 

[Skaramunga]

i get down with the 99.

fried chicken & taters with a drizzle of honey.

american sized beers & biscuits.

 

[Ballah06]

Paul, you'll appreciate this: back when I lived in the midwest, my largest customer was in Milford, IN. Milford is so damn small if you blink, you'll miss it. Even in Milford, it is no more than a 5 minute drive from some mighty fine fried local fish.

Another thing I do when I'm traveling somewhere is to ask a taxi driver where the best restaurants. I let them answer knowing full well that they will recommend a tourist trip since that's what the standard fare is looking for. I then counter, "no, the place where you go to eat". Then get the drift and you get the good stuff.

One thing that I love about the Seattle area is that chain restaurants are, for the most part, avoided like the plague. The local Chilis went out of business. The other thing I love is the availability of great ingredients. If I want good beef, there is a great butcher 10 minutes away. If I want to get raw milk (umm, the stuff that comes out of the cow and goes straight into the bottle and doesn't look like homogenized, pasteurized white milk) it is only 10 minutes away. Thank God that the people here have good taste and there is a demand for good ingredients.

Ballah, you were in North Carolina and couldn't find good food? I'm no NC expert. I've been there twice for a total of maybe 5 days combined, but it seemed that everywhere we went, you couldn't drive five miles without passing a local bbq joint. That stuff is fucking fantastic and you could feed 10 people for under $100.

Mike, I never said I couldnt find great food. Just asking people's opinions on various places. Maybe I should have included local places as well, but that just depends where everyone is at. I agree that for the most part, the local non-chain restaurants are great and offer some great food. On the Olive Garden part I usually get the mixed grill, i like their salad and breadsticks, dont see whats so horrible about that.

 

[Timmy!!!!!!!]

Have you been to the Magnolia Grill yet? Go late at night and see the freaky crowd, and get a Kitchen Sink Omlet.....:victory:

No I haven't yet. You just need to give me a list of places that you like down here.

 

[HunterAK]

I know ur gonna hate me for this but I get a bojangles biscuit at least 3-4 times a wk..its nice havin one right on the way to work

Bastard.

 

[nosivad_bor]

I eat at subway when on business. 6" chicken breast on wheat for lunch and dinner, unless with a customer then I let them call the shot.

 

[stu454]

I try to be a food snob but I love Red fucking Lobster and Olive stinking Garden.

If someone turns up their nose at me because of that as opposed to thinking to themselves 'that guys palate is screwed up' then to Hell with them.

 

[quick128]

Chachkis is my favorite. Flingers is good too. They're usually right next door to each other in the strip mall, so if one is super-busy, you can just waddle on over to the other. Don't forget your flair.

I actually laughed out loud on that one.