Community Chat

[WenGirl42]

@Moonchilde I don't mind nouveau, but that's not really what this winery we love does. Sandwiches, salads, meatloaf, enchiladas, lasagna, paprikash, stroganoff...it's comfort food and it's GOOD! We have a good number of fancier wineries with tasting rooms, etc., in the microclimate about 45 mins away. That's where we go for the "winery experience" when we want it. This place is a charming mix of winery/restaurant.

And it's okay that you don't love sushi. More for me! 

OH but I just remembered this fabulous greasy spoon Greek place I frequented in grad school in WNY. I miss that place. The omelettes and potatoes, oh my gosh. And cheap enough for my shoestring budget. I have no awesome Greek food around now 😭

[Moonchilde]

@DiAnne I'm not a huge Italian food fan either. If I have to go, I enjoy most things that are not pasta or pizza. 

[05gage25]

We are near Chuys Mexican restaurant, Red Lobster, Longhorn, Panera, Cheddars, Logan's steakhouse, Olive Garden, Five Guys, and all the usual fast food places. We're only 6 miles from a casino called Belterra and they have a really great buffet, an upscale steak and seafood restaurant called Steak 19, and a really good sports bar called the Stadium. Lots of good food to choose from. My sister-in-law comes in from Pennsylvania and she loves to eat at the buffet. She loves that they have lots of desserts served in bite size dishes so she can taste a variety of fabulous offerings!! Plus we have several local restaurants which also have really good food and we are within 20 miles of two state parks with good food. 

[Moonchilde]

@WenGirl42, I used to go across town to a funky place called Burger Continental. It was "the" place all the students from the various colleges around went to, and would have been somewhere the guys from Big Bang Theory would go - it's in the area of Cal Tech & JPL.

They did serve an international variety of burgers & similar, but they also had a huge Middle Eastern menu as the owners were Armenian I think. Delicious ME food of every kind. They had floor shows of belly dancing some evenings and during Sunday brunch. It was an institution in Pasadena. Sadly, I read that they closed a couple of years ago. It was supposedly health violations but they feel they were targeted by City Hall and they might have been. They were there 45 years and City Hall might well have wanted them out to gentrify :-(

[WenGirl42]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

@WenGirl42, I used to go across town to a funky place called Burger Continental. It was "the" place all the students from the various colleges around went to, and would have been somewhere the guys from Big Bang Theory would go - it's in the area of Cal Tech & JPL.

They did serve an international variety of burgers & similar, but they also had a huge Middle Eastern menu as the owners were Armenian I think. Delicious ME food of every kind. They had floor shows of belly dancing some evenings and during Sunday brunch. It was an institution in Pasadena. Sadly, I read that they closed a couple of years ago. It was supposedly health violations but they feel they were targeted by City Hall and they might have been. They were there 45 years and City Hall might well have wanted them out to gentrify :-(

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@Moonchilde That makes me sad. Burger Continental sounds like a place I would have loved too! 

[september]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

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@september wrote:

Interesting topic.  I love to eat out and divide my dining between family run places, some touristy spots, and even fast food or chains at times. 

Sad to say,  but many of my favorite family owned restaurants are now gone. The Japanese restaurant closed when the new Safeway opened up next door, and had a sushi bar.  My favorite pub closed when the older parents wanted to retire and their daughter who worked there, decided to go to nursing school. 

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@september, I hate how restaurants disappear, especially a favorite. 

I'm not sure how much of a drive this is for you, but new and upcoming:

http://ediblemontereybay.com/blog/oak-at-laguna-seca-debuts-with-luau/

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Not too close to me, but it seems affiliated with one that was.  It's probably going to be good!

[Moonchilde]

Of major chains, I'd have to say Red Lobster is #1 for me and Marie Callender's #2. I love seafood and RL doesn't break the bank. MC has such a huge variety I could always find soething I'm in the mood for. We do have a RL but the MC's closed and the nearest is an hour's drive :-(

[Moonchilde]

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@september wrote:

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@Moonchilde wrote:

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@september wrote:

Interesting topic.  I love to eat out and divide my dining between family run places, some touristy spots, and even fast food or chains at times. 

Sad to say,  but many of my favorite family owned restaurants are now gone. The Japanese restaurant closed when the new Safeway opened up next door, and had a sushi bar.  My favorite pub closed when the older parents wanted to retire and their daughter who worked there, decided to go to nursing school. 

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@september, I hate how restaurants disappear, especially a favorite. 

I'm not sure how much of a drive this is for you, but new and upcoming:

http://ediblemontereybay.com/blog/oak-at-laguna-seca-debuts-with-luau/

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Not too close to me, but it seems affiliated with one that was.  It's probably going to be good!

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It occupies the space that used to be Balesteri's.

[libbyannE]

 In the city, we avoid fast food and chains. I hate chain restaurants. We look for the locally owned places of which there are many. And they're good and varied. I have favorite Vietnamese and Thai restaurants, a couple of fresh seafood places, an old local  Italian family place, etc.  Our full-time home is here at the lake, so when we're here our favorite place to eat us at home overlooking the water. We never get tired of it,  but I require my Chinese food fix every couple of weeks out of nice locally owned place in a nearby town about 15 minutes away. I  almost forgot – there are an couple of great Mexican places in nearby town and they are locally owned, too. One is especially good.  We  look for great food, nice atmosphere, and we don't worry about the cost. The kinds of local places we're drawn to don't tend to be all that pricey so it's not a factor. 

[Kachina624]

@Moonchilde  Aren't nachos one of the essential food groups? 

I'm one of the few people on the planet not crazy about pizza.  Hate the grease for one thing.  I found the best pizza at Walmart's deli.  It's got barbecue sauce, pulled pork and cheese on it on a cheese stuffed crust.  Since it's a large pizza and there's just me, I cut it into thirds and just baked 1/3 at a time.