Not a big fan of chains. I do like Cheesecake Factory and usually get the corn cakes. HATE Applebee’s.
@chocchipcookie - I like Reds Eats lobster rolls but will only go off hours as the line can be long and slow moving. @emilybee - LOVE Duck Fat. Tiny place but the food is good, staff young and hip, but super friendly. @thumper1 - had the pleasure of dining at Columbia in Sarasota. I can understand why they are popular and have been around for awhile.
Maine:
Gelato Fiasco in Brunswick and Portland.
Also in Portland, Wholly Donuts is great.
NH seacoast:
Lexi’s Joint in Portsmouth for burgers
Flatbread for pizza and their house salad
the lamb burger and brunch dishes at Street
lobsters, fried seafood, chowder at Petey’s in Rye Beach
Providence, RI
Los Andes for Latin American food, generous portions of well prepared food and wonderful service.
Philly:
The Cook + Solo restaurant group provides stellar a dining experience. Zahav, Abe Fisher, Federal Donuts, Dizen Goff are all wonderful at different price points. Great combo of carefully prepared food, well-trained and professional staff, and comfortable and fun atmospheres - a triple threat that seems increasingly hard to find in dining today.
@abasket There’s no strict definition for “regional”. Regional chain can mean a chain that is only 5 restaurants in your county or 20 restaurants in your state or many more that are only in your region (like only in the southeast).
We rarely eat at chain restaurants–usually if we’re traveling and there’s nothing else. When our kids were young, we’d sometimes take them to McDonalds or Friendlys.
Closest place to a chain that I like is Legal Seafood–locations are primarily in the Boston area, but there are a few in DC, PA, and NJ.
Favorites in the greater Boston area: Menton, Oleana, Oya, Rialto, Bondir, Island Creek Oyster, Harvest, Abe and Louies, and 80 Thoreau
Other places that we go to and really enjoy: The Pearl, American Seasons, Boarding House, The Galley, Black-eyed Susan’s and Proprietors (Nantucket)
Places we’ve been to that were memorable:
Per Se (NYC), Inn at Little Washington (VA), Saison (San Francisco) French Laundry (CA) Galatoire (NOLA), Vedge (Philadelphia), Fearrington House Inn (NC), White Barn Inn (Maine), Twin Farms (Vermont).
National - I can’t think of a thing though we always pick up Dunkin Donuts on the road.
local (Westchester/NY): Dinosaurs BBQ - Harlem branch, Q’s BBQ Port Chester, Blue Smoke BBQ NYC but it’s not as good as it was, Bistro Rollin, Pelham, Walter’s Hot Dogs, Mamaroneck
I don’t eat at chain restaurants any more but I used to like Corner Bakery. Lucille BBQ smells great but the BBQ is not as good as my BBQ, of course I’m biased but I’ve got my recipe from the best restaurant in Napa Valley.
Actually, in Philly the pork and broccoli rabe is a “sandwich”, not a “hoagie.” Hoagies have cold meat and cheese, while the roast pork is a hot sandwich (which may be on a round roll or a long hoagie roll.) A “grinder” is a hoagie that has been toasted so the roll is crunchy on the outside and the cheese is melted. And a cheesesteak hoagie is a cheesesteak with lettuce and tomato (cold ingredients) on it. Yep, we are serious about our sandwiches in this city!
While I love a good cheesesteak, I have to agree that a classic Philly pork sandwich is the best!
Regional–Legal Seafood (clams) & In & Out (burgers)
Local–ah, where to start; hard to think of many local restaurants I don’t like!
Bad–Jack in the Box tacos–you can’t pay me to eat them; turned me off from trying anything else there. They made the tacos REALLY greasy and we specifically asked for no cheese in H’s, so of course it had EXTRA cheese!
I stated before that I’m not a huge fan of chains but there are a few regional chains that I do like.
Both of these are located in TX and the DC area.
Uncle Julios - I like their fajitas and tamales, and an ice cold margarita, of course.
La Madeleine - good lunch spot. I’m not good at passing up their pastries.
Imports I first tried in London/Europe that I’m happy have crossed the pond:
wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Pret a Manger
Los Angeles–fave restaurant ( and I would eat there more often if I did not have to book three month in advance): Bestia
life changing creative food
Low key faves(weekly stops and no reservations): Oto Oto Izakaya and President Thai. (Oto Oto has 7 restaurants world wide–4 in the US…don’t know if that qualifies as a chain?)
Local:
Seastar (Bellevue and Seattle)
Anthony’s Home port (a small chain)
Purple Cafe (Woodinville, Bellevue, and Seattle)
Copperleaf (5 minute drive from SEA - our hidden treasure)
Pearl Diner (Bellevue)
Palisades (Seattle)
Ivar’s Salmon house (UW area)
Ponti’s Seafood Grill
Dahlia Lounge
National - it’s been awhile, but in the past I’ve liked the lettuce wraps at the Cheesecake Facory as well as the dulce de leche cheesecake. Red Robin - started going there when it was a single restaurant on the other side of the university bridge. I don’t think we’ve been disappointed at Il Forniao.
Regional - PNW - Burgerville. We always stop in Centralia on the way to OR. I love their seasonal shakes.
Scott’s, part of Restaurants Unlimited, which may be national…it’s close to home, been going there since it was their original restaurant location. H can get fish and chips or a steak while I have a wide choice.
Local - there are a couple of one-off places nearby where we can get a burger or a gyro. Tom Douglas is ubiquitous in Seattle, but my favorite is a breakfast sandwich from Brave Horse Tavern. Seattle Ale Houses, favorite is the Reuben at 74th St. Alehouse. Pagliacci Pizza, because I can order online and pick it up on the way home. Fish tacos at Chinooks at Fishermans Terminal.
Salt and Straw ice cream in Portlamd is delicious. So are the rolls at Imperial.
I refuse to enter an Applebee’s or Taco Bell or Olive Garden or Red Lobster…
In SoCal…
Chains:
In n Out (sorry 5 Guys fans…it’s just better), Luna Grill (get the Mediterranean Couscous Salad with grilled chicken),
Regional:
Love Northwoods Inn…peanut shells thrown on the floor after you eat them, Decor is eclectic woodsy cabin, and the cheese bread is to die for. The marinated red cabbage salad and blue cheese salad (iceberg and dressing…nuttin fancy) is also amazing. My fave is the broiled scallops and filet. Pricey but so good. They sell the Clearmans cheese bread spread in my market. Might be available in other areas. Use sourdough bread or it’s not quite right.
El Adobe in San Juan Capistrano. Lobster tacos…need I say more? Salsa is the bomb.
Fillipis Pizza Grotto (San Diego) Great pizza!
Big Grill Mongolian BBQ. Yum. Can’t go wrong here.
The Original Pancake House (Orange County and San Diego). The potato pancakes are good
National Chains:
Love Chipotle, Rita’s Frozen Custard, Daphne’s, Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden (for salad and breadsticks) Rubios (fish taco especial…delicioso!)
Hate:
Most fast food chains, or anyplace where the food sits out in warming trays (Panda Express)
I hated PF Changs. I got the sesame chicken and the sauce was absolutely disgusting. My friend got some beef with spring onion thing which wasn’t as revolting as the sesame chicken thing but it was also pretty bad. I can’t think of any national restaurant chains I’d really say are “good” but some are okay.
Regional favorites:
Culvers (Midwest) - Burgers
Jets (Michigan and some in other states) - Pizza (get the square pizza, the round pizza isn’t anything special or much different than a dominos or pizza hut.
Granite City (All over the Midwest I think) - I really like the Cajun pasta but everything I’ve had there is pretty good. Lunch prices are pretty reasonable too. Happy hour and lunch are simultaneous on Saturday.
Once a year Florida’s Columbia restaurants have a ‘1905 Day’ where they roll back menu prices to what they used to charge back in year 1905…the lines are long getting into restaurant that day!
The main Columbia Restaurant in Tampa’s historic Ybor City district is my favorite restaurant. I’m going there August 8th with friends and family to celebrate my master’s degree graduation from University of South Florida (USF) this summer. Have reservation for table in sunny ‘Patio Room’. The Gonzmart family that operates the restaurant are super nice people who do a lot for Tampa community and charities, including USF.
