Bugaboo Creek...

Moose Juice...


mmmmmmmmmmm :D ^

- Locally (western PA / eastern OH), Quaker Steak & Lube is a great choice for wings. They continue to expand to more and more locations. They’re also now in TN and WI.
- Skyline Chili (mostly in OH and KY) for authentic Cincinnati-style chili.
- I agree with the postitive comments about Panera Bread. They have a number of tasty salads, fresher than many, and good soups and sandwiches to boot. I try to resist the cinnamon rolls….. The free wireless and good coffee is an added bonus.
- It’s not really a chain, as each restaurant in the group is different, but the Big Burrito Group in Pittsburgh has brought a nice variety of tasty treats to our area. Mexican, Japanese, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Pan-Asian and “Contemporary” offerings at their 6 different restaurants.
- Ruth’s Chris is much preferred over Morton's. We've had several good experiences at RC, but bad at Morton's, where the attitude was snobby, there was never a caution that the sides were HUGE or a suggestion to share, and the steaks were just not that good for the price. I'd pick RC over Morton's any day.
- Tim Horton’s Tim Horton's – OK it’s a real stretch. But on a vacation years ago with brother’s family, the nephews were young, and were treated to doughnut breakfasts several mornings at the in-ever-town-in-Canada TH. So they clamored EVERY morning for “Tim Horton’s Tim Horton’s”. And ever since, it’s had that double-name for us. And a fond spot in our hearts. Just goes to show that dining is not only about the food but also about the experience. Several years later, while ferrying youngest nephew to a soccer tournament, we stopped for a quick bite in the morning, and as we pulled off the exit ramp, in Dayton OH, there it was – and yes, the clamors were there. “TH, TH”!! Ah, memories.
- In Vegas, Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe (2 locations). I highly recommend the sampler platter.

Why is it that our travel memories always seem to center around food??? :cool:

I enjoyed an excellent steak at Capital Grille in Chicago the other night. The server was VERY professional.

I was thinking about this thread the other night when at Bonefish. There are a few locations which really outshine the others...the Greenwood IN (Indy area) location being #1 on the list (IMO) and the Algonquin IL (Chicago area) location #2 (again IMO). The staff in those locations are top-notch and I've gotten to know the managing partners at each pretty well. If anyone's going to be dining at the Indy/Greenwood location, PM me ahead of time and I"ll tell you which server to ask for :)

Has anyone tried J. Alexander's...a chain with locations in Florida?

I don't know, last summer I ate at the one near chinatown in BOS. I took the time to discuss their cooking of the lobster (as many places over cook it). The waitress gave me serious attitude about how they cook thousands of lobsters a day and would not over cook it like other restaurants and basically told me that I was a jerk to even suggest such a thing.

When I got it, of course, my lobster was very overdone. (Hint: if the claw meat is dried out with no elasticity and has become welded to the inside of the shell it is overdone).

Il Fornaio
 

Mostly in CA, but a few other locations: http://www.ilfornaio.com

The Tuscan wood-fired chicken is fantastic!

I second Il Fornaio

It is not as good as NY Italian but for a chain it is really good.

Dan

I used to like Il Fornaio a lot, but recently at the San Jose location I was served Lasagna that was cold on the inside. That told me two things. One, that they don't make it fresh every day, and that they don't have very good quality control in the kitchen. Just what I should expect from a chain as opposed to an individual restaurant that is much more concerned about quality and reputation.

I hit one on the east side of Cleveland for business lunches. Decent food - huge portions. Not a bad place to meet for drinks after work, either.

Two places I wish we had in Houston (home to tons and tons of restaurants): Bertucci's brick oven pizza and Gordon Biersch with their garlic fries.

Lettuce Entertain You
 

While not classically a chain, Lettuce Entertain You (http://www.leye.com/welcome.html) is a restaurant company in Chicago that has numerous high quality restaurants in Chicagoland and elsewhere.

Actually, a really good chain of the soup/sandwich/salad type that they started (and no longer own) is Corner Bakery. They seem to be expanding at a rapid rate, they are now all over the Loop in Chicago.

olive garden is dreck; roy's is expensive dreck. agree mccormick's is good.

Interesting. I agree about Olive Garden. However, one of the best meals I have had was at Roy's in KUAUI - soy/miso marinated butterfish - outstanding.