They also have really good chili - which was one of about four things on the original menu at the original location back when they were a one-store operation.

(I used to work for Chilis back when Brinker was just a one restaurant chain so I actually know the recipes for many of their dishes... once upon a time, Chilis had no commissary and everything in store was made fresh (from the chili to the salsa)... they still make a lot of stuff fresh, but not nearly as much as they used to).

Speaking of restaurant chains I've worked for, I'm also pretty damn partial to Jason's Deli... another chain that STILL makes almost everything fresh (about half of their soups, for example, are mixed by hand the morning they are served). I was in their management training program when I first got out of college (long story) and one of the first tasks you have in month one is to learn to make every single made-from-scratch recipe in the kitchen and how to make every single one of their dozens of sandwiches and salads.

I'm not that familiar with Chili's, but I can give you some suggestions at Outback (based solely on experiences in the US):
Bloomin' Onion (essentially a fried onion). Tasty and slightly spicy (and often a bit greasy).
Their hamburgers are very good; however, this is one dish I would echo the inconsistencies comments raised: on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being well done, medium well in some restaurants is closer to a 5 or 6 and in others it's closer to a 10.
Many people seem to like the Outback Special, but it is a sirloin steak which is not usually my preferred cut. The other steaks are usually good as well.
I very much like the Queensland Chicken and Shrimp, but I have them replace the alfredo with the Bloomin' Onion sauce, which results in delicious cajun chicken and shrimp pasta.
I also like both the grilled chicken and ribs, together or separately.

And of course, at least one cold Fosters draft. ^

For a somewhat upscale US chain, the food is usually better than the average chain.

Steak: I'll take the Keg (Baseball Sirloin). Not into overpriced steak joynts.
Quickie chains: Portillo's Hot Dogs, (man is that chocolate cake good there)
or a DoubleDouble at In-N-Out.
Gyros: The Smokehouse in Wheaton, IL. The gyro plate is about a pound... yikes...(well, not really a chain, they have 2 of 'em).
Honorable mention: McCormick & Schmicks.

The Walkabout Soup (creamy onion/cheese mixture) is very good. In California (and in Phoenix and possibly elsewhere) the Hungry Hunter chain serves very passable slow-roasted prime rib.

I would opt for the local place, too. Carrabbas isn't bad, but you can't beat a local place.

I can vouch for Jason's Deli - I recently had to deliver a pallet of 32oz bottles of Real Lemon to their commisary/distribution center. I wondered why they just didn't buy the stuff in 5 gallon buckets.

Flemings Steakhouse, a very upscale experience, great steaks (not as great as some of the Chicago favorites) but IMHO a notch better than Ruth's Chris, and RC is still one of my favorites.

100 wines by glass.


http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/index.htm

http://www.ruthschris.com/home.asp

[QUOTE=MIKESILV]By far the best chain restaurants are the Outback owned/operated Roy's with a special mention for the Flemings Steakhouse also run by Outback.



They also own/operate Carrabbas, as well as LeRoy Selmons' in Tampa.

The Daily Grill http://www.dailygrill.com/
Excellent salads, "Joe's Special", chicken chili. There is a Daily Grill not far from my home. Our Sunday night tradition is a delivery of Chicken Chili and toasted cheese bread and a caesar salad. Don't know if all locations deliver, but the Brentwood location does.

I know that the TGIFridays and Chili's were as good or better than their US counterparts in Kuwait.

I won't eat at a US TGIF (after several bad experiences) but the Kuwait one was quite good - except for the missing beer.

I will eat at chains if the mom-and-pop places are an unknown quantity, as many, if not most, restaurants are heavily reliant on industrial products that taste dead to me.

360� Burritos (there's one at SJC airport, with branches coming to Cincinnati, DFW, Las Vegas, and Minneapolis airports.

Roy's ("Hawaiian Fusion")

Il Fornaio (though why you'd name a restaurant with a homophone for "ill for now" is baffling)

California Pizza Kitchen

Before I swore off commercial corn-fed beef (the Rainforest beef of this decade!), I loved Carl's, Jr., especially the Double Western burgers. On a road trip, they're great, but too guilt-inducing for normal consumption.

The thing about Wolfgang Puck is his slipping credibility. Interesting discussion here: a Robb Walsh piece in the Houston Press sheds light on Puck as the modern equivalent of Chef Boyardee. The fact that he's in bed with ConAgra is scary.

Big ditto on the recs for Baja Fresh, In-n-Out, and Chevy's.

I will not eat at an Olive Garden. Italy cured me permanently of the notion that their food resembles Italian food at all.

Not much mention of Outback here, so I have to say it's one of my favorite regular places to eat. For the money you pay, the bread and dinner salad are superior to several other medium priced chain restaurants. They put so much variety in their dinner salad, it's not just lettuce and carrots. It's sliced roma tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic croutons, shredded cheese, red onion, etc. I like the filet cut or the shrimp and veggie skewers (remoulaude sauce for the side). The bloomin' onion is always a good start too.

I'll second Baja Fresh, Chevy's, In & Out Burger, and Crackle Barrell.

Rubio's is good too for their fish tacos. http://www.rubios.com/

Another mention is Mimi's Cafe. I think they have very good breakfast. And a great kids menu selection. http://www.mimiscafe.com/

I also like the RainForest Cafe, more for the atmostphere than the price and food selections though.

Thank you guys on the comments on Chili's and Outback. I've wanted to try both several times when I was feeling like having some upscale western fast food in Asia but my bad experience at TGIF kept haunting me.

So I guess I'll be trying the tortilla soup and a (fiery) Chili portion at Chili's and the blooming Onions and Queensland Chicken and Shrimp Cajun style at Outback's.

Alea jacta est.

Chicken enchilada soup os better than the tortilla soup at Chili's

IMHO

Outback, never seen what the big deal is, but then again we have far better steak houses here in ELP

IMHO

When hubby & I were vacationing in Oregon in Sept., we stumbled upon a chain called Elmer's. Apparently there are several in the Portland area, plus some others scattered throughout OR & CA. They reminded me of a Denny's, but with nicer decor and better food. I had a potato-encrusted fish (cod?) which was quite tasty.

We also ate at a Spaghetti Factory, and it turned out to be pretty good. We normally avoid the one in STL (on the riverfront), because you can never get in without an ungodly long wait. Several posters have mentioned the insanely long waits to get in places like Cheesecake Factory, Macaroni Grill ... heck, even Olive Garden. And yes, it baffles me. In some instances (i.e., Spaghetti Factory) I somewhat understand the popularity -- cheap eats, especially for a family. But places like Cheesecake Factory, for example, are not what I'd consider inexpensive, and people still wait over an hour to be seated!

If nothing else, it proves that people are nutty all over the US, not just in STL.