Kitchen

[Mothertrucker]

Wow! I havent heard of so many of these, must not be in Southern California-

I tend to eat at local one of a kind places but I do love Ruth's Chris, Roy's, Alexander's Steakhouse, McCormick and Scmick, and Macaroni Grill, though last time we went they seemed to have gone downhill somewhat...Woodranch BBQ is good too..

We used to love Claim Jumper 10-20 years ago, but they are nowhere near what they once were...

[ECBG]

I don't know if it's because I'm not in a gigantic city, but I haven't had the experiences some of you have with chains.  Maybe they have more time to be more attentive to preparation here.

I'll meet a girlfriend and we'll have "Girl's Din" at Olive Garden, or Red Lobster (depending on coupons), Carrabbas, Outback, or Bone Fish if it's special.  They're are some private Italian ones I like but they're not easy for my friends to drive to.

I don't go to Dennys, Chili's, or Ruby Tuesday.  Never cared for any of them.

[Kachina624]

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@CJC wrote:

Only chain I really like is Sweet Tomatoes, a chain that seems rather limited to Florida -- and I've found one in Salt Lake City.  They may be in other areas too.  You can eat healthy there:  fresh ingredients, homemade soups, homebaked breads, fresh salad ingredients.

@CJC.  We have several Sweet Tomato locations in Albuquerque, and it's a favorite of mine.  I believe they originated in California.

[Kachina624]

We're looking forward to a new Cheesecake Factory opening here next month.  We couldn't have one for years because there was a small local deli type place by the same name.  The national chain agreed to stay completely out of NM in order to use the name.  You couldn't even find NM on the drop-down box on their website.

Last year the local owners retired allowing the chain to move in.  Hallelujah!  The only trouble is all their menu selections have like a million calories, then you add the cheesecake for a total of two million.

[Mothertrucker]

@Kachina624 lived in So Cal all my life and never herd of Sweet Tomato..What kind of food do they serve?

[sandraskates]

We are so fortunate to have many great independant restuarants in my city and also in the nearby cities that we don't go to chains as much as we used to.

Sometimes we go to:

Chipotle

Carl's Junior (good burgers, fries and onion rings)

Jack In The Box (for their wonderful greasy tacos)

Olive Garden

Boudin Bakery

Panara Bread

Of the chains that we visit when we travel "I wish" we had:

Old Spaghetti Factory

Buca de Bepo

Ruby Tuesdays

Cheesecake Factory

[Kachina624]

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@Mothertrucker wrote:

@Kachina624 lived in So Cal all my life and never herd of Sweet Tomato..What kind of food do they serve?

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@Mothertrucker wrote:

@Kachina624 lived in So Cal all my life and never herd of Sweet Tomato..What kind of food do they serve?

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@MOTHER trucker   Its basically a big salad bar with everything you could want,  then they have really good soups,  several hot breads,  pasta,   and an ice cream machine with some hot desserts.   They frequently go down the aisles serving fresh,  hot chocolate chip cookies. 

This from Wikipedia:  Souplantation is a United States-basedchain of all-you-can-eat buffet-style restaurants. The first Souplantation opened in 1978 in San Diego, California, where the company is headquartered. The company was incorporated as Garden Fresh Corp. in 1983. The company went public in 1995[1] but was taken private in 2004.[2] Outside of Southern California, Souplantation operates under the nameSweet Tomatoes. The company is owned by Garden Fresh Restaurant Corporation

[Mothertrucker]

thanks @Kachina624, Souplantation I know very  well..I wondered how I could have missed a restaurant chain around here! Souplantation is very popular aound these parts, never knew they were called something else, like how Carl's Jr is Hardee's and Bob's Big Boy is Shoneys, I guess... (lets not forget Best Foods/Hellman's!)

[colliegirls]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

We're looking forward to a new Cheesecake Factory opening here next month.  We couldn't have one for years because there was a small local deli type place by the same name.  The national chain agreed to stay completely out of NM in order to use the name.  You couldn't even find NM on the drop-down box on their website.

Last year the local owners retired allowing the chain to move in.  Hallelujah!  The only trouble is all their menu selections have like a million calories, then you add the cheesecake for a total of two million.

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I LOVE the Cheesecake Factory but do not like cheesecake!  No one makes you get dessert!!

[Nataliesgramma]

My favorites are

Primanti Bros.

O'Charleys

Five Guys