I tend to judge restaurants based on my favorite dish on their menu and how tasty it is, rather than how well the chain performs overall. I know that's not fair to the restaurant, but when I go out to a chain I usually just like to eat, not judge.

That said, I think certain chains are overrated, way too unhealthy, and/or too dumpy, regardless of the dish you eat. For instance, Denny's is consistently greasy, but I respect their hash browns when done well and if someone else insists on eating there I'll bite my tongue and make sure hash browns figure prominently in my order. I like 'em crispy.

Since moving to Minneapolis we've unfortunately become slaves to national chains. Some of the more successful for us (our three kids are 8, 5, and 3 and influence our choice of dining to a scary degree) are:

- Macaroni Grill (I've been to the original outside of Austin, TX many times and while this isn't as good, it's fine for a Tuesday night) and Don Pablo's are near us. What can I say? They're a BATH if I'm tired. (Better Alternative Than Home.)

- Noodles and Company : YUM! The new Bangkok Curry is scrumptious and has perfectly tender-crisp carrots and sugar snap peas underneath. All of their noodles are made separately from the sauces, so you can mix and match if you're sweet to the cashier. And I'm always sweet.

- Chipotle : Wow, that chicken burrito rocks! Although Chipotle doesn't have the variety that a lot of burrito places have (Choices: 3-4 meats, rice, 2 beans, lettuce, tomato, 4 salsas including a great corn salsa with diced chilis, guac, sour cream, served in a tortilla or in a bowl... and that's IT, no sides), it's consistently excellent. The flavors are so bright and the chicken is such high quality (it's some kind of organic, I think) that I can overlook the rest. Tip: Ask for less rice. There's usually too much and while it's really good, you want a higher chicken-to-rice ratio.

- I love PF Chang's (my husband's not a huge fan, though) and we both like Cheesecake Factory. Try CF's Navajo Chicken Sandwich followed by a Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake for a decadent treat.

- We also love Maggiano's. Big portions but well-made. Not something we have often or we'd be the brunt of "person of size" complaints in coach.

A couple local chains have made us very happy, indeed.

- D'Amico & Sons : Get yourself there! Great counter-order service that's delivered to the table. These are small but VERY good. Excellent cold pasta salads (turkey salad with dried cherries, anyone?), sandwiches (the grilled chicken with garlic aioli, real mozzarella and roasted red bell peppers on an onion focaccia will make you swoon), pizza (mixed luck here), and entrees (terrific no-meat lasagne with a remarkably good marinara, optionally with sausage). The deli-style branch (no hot stuff) at the airport has wonderful take-on food. I recommend that chicken sandwich. The service at the airport branch sucks, though, so don't bother writing me about it... I know. I know. Anyway, there are other local restaurants under the D'Amico umbrella. Most are very upscale (entree = $18-$40) and all are terrific.

- Famous Dave's Barbeque : My brother, also a Texan, swore it was better than Coulter's BBQ in Texas, and I think it's better than Red Hot & Blue. (Some insult RH&B, but I gotta say that pulled chicken sandwich rocks my boat. And their potato salad is the only version I will eat, period.)

- Good Earth (2-3 locations here) and other Parasole restaurants: Terrific quality healthy food served in medium-large portions. I love whole grains, but I'm not a vegetarian. (I eat poultry and some fish but no mammals or shellfish.) Their foods are almost completely veg-friendly, but they also have fish/meat options with the same level of "healthy" food on the plate, too. All the restaurants I've gone to in this chain are excellent. A cut above Cheesecake Factory (I'm not dissing CF, just comparing it!) and light-years past Chili's and TGI Friday's, which we've given up on.

Dyanne