This is one of those threads which keeps me coming back to FT.

I am surprised, however, that no one has brought up the fact that one has little control over salt content and other additives when dining out. I´m very careful about my use of salt and fat, for example - but many restaurants make up for a lack of technique and/or flavor by overusing such items. This is one of several reasons I truly enjoy dining and cooking at home.

Let me first state that I like to cook - and I cook a variety of Austrian and American-style dishes (nothing overly complicated or time-consuming however except on rare occasions).

Because I travel a lot (like all of us here) I do tend to try to find more unusual local restaurants at my various destinations. You would have to drag me kicking and screaming into a steak house chain (Mortons, Ruth Chris, etc.) . Instead, I try to find out what the local specialties are and where the locals go.

Just a few weeks ago, one of the better meals I had in Prague (Allegro was the best dining experience there) was in a low-end restaurant called Lokal. Not pretentious at all, not expensive either (dinner for 2 with appetizers, main courses, dessert, and Bier was ca. $30 plus gratuity) - but the food was made with passion.

Someone mentioned "passion" earlier in this thread and I think that is what seals the deal for me. Passion can be evidenced in very simple dishes as well as in more complex ones and the price tag doesn´t necessarily even begin to mean that there is true passion behind the dish being served.

At this point, the buzzer in the kitchen is ringing so I must attend to the stove and broiler I suppose. But I will continue to follow this thread with great interest.