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

Seeing MSP in the post above reminded me that the Redstone American Grill has opened a third location, this one in the western suburbs of Chicago (Oakbrook Terrace). I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. The prime rib was surprisingly good, and the cornbread was excellent.

For a personal bonus, the owner shares our last name, which is definitely not a common one; the server who was excellent all meal was a little freaked out when she saw my credit card and asked if we were related.


And I just found out that there's a Baja Fresh three minutes from my parents. It's been there for almost a year but they had terrible signage. I still like it, but not compared to most decent Chicagoland taquerias, much less something in a city with an even larger percentage of Mexican population.

I'm allergic to three common food preservatives, so I usually stay far away from chain restaurants. I've had too many times where friends dragged me to one, I asked the waitress if there were any preservatives in, say, their alfredo sauce, and found out that they had no idea what they were talking about when they told me "Oh no, it's very fresh and we make it ourselves." :rolleyes:

Il Fornaio is ok- not great, but I can at least eat most of their food. My favorite "chain" is Macrina Bakery, which has a bakery in Belltown and another one up on Queen Anne Hill. I love their salads and breads and incredible desserts. Mmmmmmmmm.

Le Pain Quotidien
 

Le Pain Quotidien is a lovely concept and a great favorite in my Southern California neighborhood. I particularly like the big and rustic communal table, the pots of jam, the large steaming cups of cappucino. This is a breakfast and lunch place and great for solo diners. A great place to spread out your newspaper and eat a fine croissant, perhaps some yogurt, granola and berries or a great ham and cheese omelet for breakfast. I can only speak about the Brentwood location which serves breakfast until noon on weekedays and until 3 on weekends. They open at 7:00AM. Lunch is excellent. Sandwiches are served open face and come with a fresh green salad. The curried chicken salad, served with chutneyis outstanding. As this is a chain and a franchise, I believe they do an admirable job (at least, in my neighborhood).
http://www.lepainquotidien.com/
http://www.lepainquotidien.com/Inter...6-18cd596cbb09

Mmmmm... agree with you on Noodles & Co.... that is a new favorite as of late. I'm fond of their Mushroom Stroganoff (add sliced beef) and their Thai Caesar Salad.

I've forgotten about Krispy Kreme too. Not the mass-produced crap they sell in every Target and grocery store and gas station near me but the good "Hot Doughnuts Now" stuff you can get at the original stores. Nothing quites beats a KK when the sugar icing has yet to harden on a hot doughnut.

Around here, I also like La Madeline... somewhat liberally interpreted French bistro fare, but the original is in Dallas and they make a mean tomato basil soup and caesar salad. I've got an outpost around the corner from my house and that works in a pinch.

Speaking of soup and salad, my favorite "fast" dinner as of late is at Panera Bread. I am addicted to their broccoli cheese soup and turkey artichoke panini combo.

I am a big fan of Panera's food, except I don't particularly like their bread and sweets! But I am a big fan of their interpretation of a Cuban sandwich (I think it has rotated off their menu, however :( ), and most of their soups and paninis are above average. I'm gong to have to try the Turkey Artichoke one some night this week because I love artichokes!

They also have free wireless at their locations, which I think is a very smart business decision.

I forgot to add another of our favorite national chains, Red Robin. The atmosphere is MUCH nicer than Fuddrucker's, and since I would only be getting a chicken sandwich anyway (see my post above for the reason if you have nothing better to do), it's better quality food, too. My favorites: onion rings (mmm... the best around) and the Cajun Chicken sandwich (misnamed, since it's actually a buffalo chicken sandwich: fried chicken breast with buffalo sauce, then put on a bun with some other stuff that I never get).

Yes, the original location of Redstone is located about two miles from us, so my husband and I go often, especially since friends of ours are original investors so we don't have to wait an hour on a weeknight for a table. (We take whatever help we can get. We're paying the sitter whether we're waiting in line or sitting at a table enjoying our meal.) This is NOT a place for children, unless yours are perfectly behaved and/or heavily sedated. The service is fairly fast for a very nice sit-down place, but it's still real food and therefore unpredictable.

Tip: Get the rotiserrie chicken. It's better than ANY you've ever had before, and if you ask for all white meat (rather than half a chicken split half white and half dark) they only add $1, but you get two HUGE dinners. Ask for extra "good juice" on the side. The mashed potatoes are good and the winter root veggies are, too, but their summer "green" sides never taste as good.

Another great item there is the rotisserie chicken salad, and don't forget some Lodge Cornbread on the side. Don't be fooled by the cornbread croutons on the salad itself -- they will not sate your cornbread desire, good as they are.

Of course, if you're there on a tortilla soup day (Tuesdays, if memory serves), make sure you get it. It's better than the Chili's version mentioned above.

Chevy's Fresh Mex. Not the best Mexican food you'll ever have, but very good.

Another vote for Panera. I forget it's a chain.
Asaigio Beef Sandwich, ^ ^ ^

Atlanta Bread Company gets a ^ .

As for Outback, I guess I've been on the road too many years, as I hopefully will never eat at one again. When one opened up nearby, my wife and kids wanted to give it a try. I told them to try it next time I was out of town. They weren't impressed either. I find them incosistent from store to store and in most places I travel, I can dine at a high end restaurant or as I ask the kid at hotel reception "where do you eat on Prom Nite around here" for about the same cost.

Yours must have better food than ours. ;) I agree the atmosphere is great - we just had our office-wide Christmas party there and everyone had a great time - but the food reminded me of an Italian Taco Bell. You know...how they make different stuff out of the same four ingredients and it all tastes the same but it looks different?

The best thing on the menu we had was the Lemon Chicken and the desserts. The other five entrees tasted exactly alike. Not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but not very exciting either. I definitely did not get the feeling that someone's Italian mama was cooking in the kitchen. ;)

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

[email protected]

The Landry's chains are pretty decent for the price. Myself, I prefer Joe's Crab shack for decent crab. Salt Grass is decent for steaks.

Another chain I like are the Pappas restaurants, C&H is an awesome steak house where you can dress casual and get fine dining and service. Pappadeux does great cajun dishes and the Tex-mex at Pappasito's is pretty good.

Both places serve good sized portions (well, in Texas they do).

Agree with Bucca di Beppo, those are pretty good when you want a lot of food for a group.

I am surprised not to see Capital Grille mentioned. In Dallas, anyway, I prefer it over Del Frisco's hands down. And I agree on Palomino -- absolutely first rate place.

Also, in Western Canada, Earl's has consistently great food, in a Houston's kind of atmosphere but waaaay more imagination and variety. They are also in CO and AZ, but failed in Dallas this past year.

Actually, I wish we had more chain restaurants out here on our mid-Pacific rock. We have tourist restaurants, a few high-end places and a lot of cheap local style places. Not a lot in the middle ground.

Palomino is one of the few nicer restaurants downtown in our business district. It's ok, and I'm glad we have it, but it always leaves me a bit nonplussed.

I actually like Chili's. There's a real dearth of decent Mexican places out here and their fajitas help to satisfy my Mexican jones when I don't have the patience to cook them for myself. Plus they'll give you extra guacamole instead of sour cream and cheese. :)

But the Ivy isn't exactly known for it's food - more for celeb sighting & high prices (although I like the scones!)

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!

:D :D :D

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! :eek:

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.

Panera --- blech
 

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. :)

One interesting thing about reading this thread is how differently people see things . . . in my mind, live and let live. IMHO, too many different restaurants have been thrown into this thread in the "chain" category? Fogo de Chao? Please, not a chain. Having more than one location may meet the technical definition of "chain," but here's the real definition:

When you drive the interstate ring around any major city, and get off at the exit that has Target and Best Buy and Petco and Home Depot or Lowe's, and Circuit City, what restaurant is in the parking lot?

That's a chain.

Using that definition, chains I eat at and enjoy:

Outback: love the wings. Just love 'em. Nobody else makes them like this, people always give them that crappy tabasco flavor. Steaks are so-so. Get the wings and a salad.

Olive Garden: not spectacular, but reliable, especially if you're with anyone who's not an adventurous eater.

Macaroni Grill: a bit better than Olive Garden, but not as chain-y just because there aren't as many of them.

Panera: Went to school in St. Louis, and spent a LOT of time at St. Louis Bread Company, which is the progenitor of this good soup-and-sandwich chain.

Corner Bakery: Same category, love the paninis.

Two restaurants I think are a bit above the "chain" status, but I throw them in for kicks:

McCormick & Schmicks: Best "chain" seafood, bar none, and I've been to that Boston pretender.

Ruth's Chris: Best "chain" steak, and I've been to all the high-end ones you can name. NEVER (and I mean NEVER) have had a bad steak at any Ruth's, any location, any cut. It's never happened.

Chains I don't like:

Chili's: tired menu, indifferent service.

Ruby Tuesday: same.

Hooter's: bad food, staff who's supposed to be "attractive" but 3/4 of the time is not.

Very interesting thread - from London's Ivy to Roy's to The Cheesecake Factory! :D I am from Hawaii-Kai, Honolulu, and the feeling amongst more than one local is that Roy's is way overrated - that the food, while reasonably "good," is NOT "great," especially for the price! All complain how noisy the Hawaii-Kai location (the original location) is - having not been to the others, does this hold true elsewhere in the Roy's "chain"?

ClipperJon

Sonic Burger. Consistently good burger. And I like the way I can park and order. Like the old Sands in L.A.

Z

They're all loud, but I like the ahi, macadamia nut crusted mahi-mahi & that chocolate lava cake... and they have Conundrum on the wine list, which is a perfect match for their food.

JCooke and I went to Ruth's in NYC for Valentine's Day 2002. AWESOME. Best meal we have ever had. Pricey, but well worth it. The food, the drink, the atmosphere was perfect for a couples night out. Although we have not ventured to the one near us (King of Prussia), I'm sure we will in the near future.

Olive Garden is always a winner for quick Italian. There is also a restaurant in my area called Austin's, which has its sisters in Plymouth Meeting, Langhorne, and Drexel Hill under the name of J.B. Dawson's. EXCELLENT FOOD! Killer baked potato soup and awesome ribs (so I've been told, I don't eat them :D )

Outback Steakhouse! I've been a fan forever. Love the hot bread and the large amounts of food they give you!

I like Johnny Carino's for the chain Italian. Spicy Romano Chicken, less Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms, if you please. ^

BillShepp - are you sure that Milestones is owned by the company that owns Macaroni Grill?

Macaroni Grill is owned by Brinker International. They own not only Macaroni Grill but Chilis, On the Border, Corner Bakery, Rockfish, Maggianos, and Big Bowl Asian.
see: http://www.brinker.com/

I think this thread is informative in more ways than one. The sad thing is that someone asked for chain restaurants that are good, and some of the replies include places like In-N-Out Burger and so on, which may be good (for what they are), but could hardly be called restaurants. And someone else thought a brunch place was special because they serve (gasp!) fresh-squeezed orange juice. :rolleyes:

Are we Americans a bunch of rubes or what? :(

Well, we may be rubes, but I don't think it's because of the orange juice. As one who loves to travel in Europe, I must say, when in a restaurant for breakfast, I've seldom gotten orange juice of any higher quality than Hi-C!