This is a great question, OP, and I have always wondered what non-Americans think about this. My experiences living in the Middle East are the same -- we think of Chili's, TGI Fridays, or fast food, or steak houses as "American."

It's a shame. All of those are certainly legitimate dining options in certain circumstances, which I enjoy sometimes, but it's missing out on the real American food that is certainly competitive with the great cuisines of the world.

For example, in Washington, DC, the U.S. city in which I have spent the most time eating out, I used to enjoy going to Olives, Vidalia, CityZen, Corduroy, Mendocino Grille, Paolo's, DC Coast, Firefly, and Zola, to name a few. I would call of these "American" -- or perhaps in some cases American accents to other cuisines -- but they are hard to typify.

For anyone who has been to some of these places, what would you call them? And how would they be positioned in a city outside the U.S.?