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Do you actively seek out local restaurants?

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Never go to crappy chains. Living in the city, there are local restaurants galore in every imaginable cuisine. I use review sites(ie. chowhound) to help pick them. To the local haters, all you need to do is a little research so you're not disappointed.

Chain restaurants for the lazy and those that don't want really good food.
 
Yes, the food is usually better. If you go to a chain instead of a local restaurant, you are only sending money out of your community.
 
The only time I will go to a chain is when I am starving and need something safe. Otherwise I ask around and see what the locals have to say on where to eat. There have been very few times where I have been disappointed and have probably experienced some the best food around the world in many cities/countries.
 
I used to... but I've only found one or two local restaurants *ever*, no matter where I've looked, that are better than chain restaurants. I'd love to frequent local places rather than chains, its just so freaking hard to find decent ones.
 
If by local you mean under $10 a dish mom and pop, sure. But if by local you mean $200 a person pretentious "ZOMG, it's so yummy 'cause it's fucking expensive!" fancy restaurants, then no.

I'm in SF, so there are shit loads of mom and pops everywhere. I tend to stick to the few I like unless somebody introduces me to some new ones.

Originally posted by: Lounatik
And its that experience of eating at a local place that makes it so much better ( or worse) . If they are a hit, they stay in business. If they suck, the community will speak with their wallets.
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Eh it's all personal preferences. There's a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown that gets rave reviews by the local food critics and are always packed. But the thing is you rarely see Chinese people in it, and the one time I went there w/ a couple of friends, food and service wasn't all that great.
 
Absolutely. Thats one thing we love about Sarasota, most of the restaurants are local and absolutely fantastic.
 
If you ever travel to DC, read ahead on WashingtonPost.com. Check Tom Sietsema's last few weekly chats, dining columns, etc. Short of the NYC crew, I think he's one of the best restaurant critics in the country. Actually, he might be the best, as he manages to not be known in the industry. No pic of him in the paper or the website, even. The reviews usually mirror my own experiences at the same places because they don't know that it's the Post critic.

That said, DC and the surrounding area is a great food city. I don't go to chains at all unless its with coworkers at lunch time, because that's just usually what they want to do. Hell, even my local mall food court has a mom and pop Thai restaurant in it. Actually, I had it for lunch today 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Lounatik
I have gotten completely disgusted by eating at so called "chain" restaurants ( Chili's, Applebees, Ruby Tuesdays etc.) . I can't stand the uninspired crap, the saltiness, the general lack of anything worthwhile on a menu in these places. How many ways can you serve a hamburger so that they all taste the same? Can you bread and fry chicken and still make it taste like shit four different ways? Hell, at Longhorns or Outback you still can drop 50-60.00 for barely decent steaks for two and that doesn't even include any alcohol. I found a local place that charges about the same, but you get some sweet aged beef that would put Longhorns or Outback to shame.

I went to a local Thai place last night and had a fantastic dinner with my family of four for under 45 bucks including tip. Food was out of this world. Hot, spiced just right and was actually cooked fresh right when I ordered it. I have found so many local restaurants around where I live that depend on locals to keep them open as opposed to the corporate chains that could give a crap less.

Does anyone else try to support your local food establishments? Well, you should!

/rant


Peace

Lounatik
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i avoid chains as much as possible. i still can not wrap around my head what my co workers did when we went to japan for a week. they almost exclusively ate at mcdonalds and hard rock cafe. i was totally shocked and may have lost a little respect for them. needless to say after the second day i ended up exploring places on my own and found some damn good jap food, sushi and other stuff i never had before :thumbsup:
 
where are all the "I love Chili's" zealots that normally fill these boards?

Sorry but if you're eating at chain restaurant and think its actually GOOD, you are horribly mistaken.
 
Originally posted by: Homerboy
where are all the "I love Chili's" zealots that normally fill these boards?

Sorry but if you're eating at chain restaurant and think its actually GOOD, you are horribly mistaken.
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It's all subjective. As long as your expectations are in line with the restaurant, I don't see what the problem is.

What I see all the time on ATOT are comments like the following:

"OMG Applebees sucks! I ordered the sirloin and it wasn't anywhere near as good as the steak I had at Ruths Chris last week!"

No crap, Applebees isn't trying to compete with Ruths Chris. Not everyone can afford to blow that much on a meal every week, which is why restaurants like Applebees and Chilis exist.

Personally I don't think their food is bad for the price.
 
Absolutely. The best places are always locally owned, and more often than not chain food is disappointing at best. I discover a new one every couple months and they continue to get my business.

It's not that hard to find good local eateries, just ask people in your area that have lived there for a long time. I've always got a list of places within 25 miles that I want to try.
 
I check out local places all the time and often get the opinions of my fellow Chef's on what's good. I rarely if ever pay attention to online or newspaper reviews.
 
Originally posted by: Lounatik
Do you actively seek out local restaurants?
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Yes I do whenever possible. Chain food has me jaded. Besides I like supporting my local economy instead of some huge, faceless, national corporation.
 
local places are usually way better than chains.
We have some great places around here, a local steakhouse with great steaks and fish, local beef and fresh fish every morning. A finish place that has the best breakfasts, cheap too. we have a place that has great specialty pizzas and is known for serving "fish bowl" drinks. we even have a great sandwich shop downtown and even a local brewery. When traveling I like to hit up local places too, esp. if they have locally made beer.
mmm... I am going to have to hit up the steakhouse soon.
 
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