I consider myself a foodie but try to stay away from fancy/expensive places. It's about finding great food/places that are hopefully cheap eats.
It's like buying wine. You can buy a $100 bottle and there is a pretty good chance it will be good/great.
Or you can buy a $10 bottle and have a 50/50 chance it will be good. Every once in a while you will find that $10 bottle of wine that is even better than those $100 bottles.