Lotus of Siam, Las Vegas & sister restaurant, Renu Nakorn is beautiful downtown Norwalk, California. Both great Thai (northern too) & LOS especially has an incredible German & Austrian wine selection for wonderful pairings. Waaaay off the Strip in a totally non descript (other than grungy) strip mall.

The one in Fashion Island, Newport Beach is kindof nasty, but the new one off of MacArthur is pretty good.

And their new Cafe R & D in Fashion Island is great - love the filet salad, the french dip, the mango chicken salad & a couple of other things. Gulfstream - best crabcakes ever (not so excited about the rest, but love those crabcakes!). Banderas is always good - delicious cornbread, peanut coleslaw, roasted artichokes & GREAT price on bottle of Frank Family Chard!

My thoughts exactly - you just said it so much more eloquently!

I used to frequent TooJay's during my residence in Palm Beach. It was okay, but couldn't hold a candle to most NYC delis, which seemed to be what they were imitating.

You didn't miss anything. Local joints almost always top a chain.

ABC just opened a store here in White Plains. Please tell me why I should visit. Are they known for any specialties? I clearly know nothing about this company - is it really just bread? Seems that they would have a tough time competing with the local bakeries.

I've been a big fan of Panera (fka St Louis Bread Company) since first seeing it on a project in Columbus, Ohio 5+ years ago. They've finally got one here in Houston and it's high on our list for 'quick casual'.

I also enjoy Cafe Express since they now have a downtown location. Any Dallas fans? I understand they've got locations up there now.

I'm not a big fan of Pappasitos, but when I want Cajun, I go to Treebeards (currently only in Houston and Dallas), but only in the first part of the week as this is the only time they serve chicken & sausage gumbo!

Funny thing about Houston's...I've always enjoyed their food but the one nearest my house has changed to a J. Alexanders! I haven't visited since.

If you're in Houston and want good Tex-Mex, don't miss Lupe Tortilla. They are now a chain (4 locations) but I've been going there since they had the original Hwy 6 location. I'd be surprised if they don't show up in Dallas soon.

Try the Ivy's fried chicken. It's amazing.

If any of you are in PHL, you may want to try out Marathon Grill. It's a very good local chain. I hope they expand. When you go for the Sunday brunch, you get REAL fresh squeezed OJ!

The operative word in the name "The Cheesecake Factory" is Factory! If you're stuck in Palo Alto staring at the line at their store there, walk out the door, turn left, and go 100' up to Taxi's for a hamburger, fries, and milkshake. Show your "Albertson's Preferred Customer" card (!) for a 15% discount, even. This is a micro-chain in the Bay area, as are nearby Pasta ?, Zao Noodle House, and Taqueria Andale, and any of these would be a better choice.

Never tried the Taqueria Andale at the international terminal at SFO, but I have looked at their menu and it is way more limited than the other stores. Can they even have a slicing knife when they are inside security? I would imagine most of the stuff at that branch is pre-prepared and wouldn't judge the others by this one.

But if the Cheesecake Factory customer-base is cult-like, what would you call the fans of "In-N-Out" or "Krispy Kreme" (some of whom have posted on this thread)? Like Stimpy notes about Legal Sea Foods, when there was only one "In-N-Out" it was pretty good. Now it's nothing special.

My wife and I were very impressed with a chain in British Columbia, Milestones. It's apparently owned by the same people as Macaroni Grille, though I've not seen any in the US.

I have tried this wretched place twice and both time I wondered how on earth there could be more than one of these places.

Taste is in the tongue of the beholder... or whatever the saying is.

That is for sure.

Buca di Beppo are Cheescake Factory (big and good are not synonymous), in my opinion, are mediocre at best. Olive Garden and Applebee's - I can't imagine how they stay in business - both are really bad. Uno's (the chain) is a huge disappointment. BTW, Lou Malnati's is about 6 blocks from the original Uno's and the pizza is, arguably, just as good, without the long waits (on the fringes of that trendy neighborhood).

I do like Panera, Corner Bakery, Macaroni Grill and Chili's (quite high on my list of good hamburgers).

On the high end, I like Chart House and Ruth's Chris. Fogo de Chao is not really much of a chain - what do they have, maybe four restaurants in the US? And it is very expensive unless you go for lunch. ($80 Alan? How many desserts did you have?? - but I too prefer BA Grill!)

In France, I like Leon De Bruxelles.

I noticed it only took the OP a few pages to relent and start adding a cheap place too.