10-01-2003 23:55									#31
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quote: Originally posted by SpencerH I got a nasty food poisoning from a chain restaurants .......

Just used Spencers reply as the quote - could have been any of the others.

Why do you not make your own food? Fast-food only takes 45-60 minutes, good cooking takes a little longer (up to 2-2½ hours).

It takes a little time - you are not "working" all the time - you can talk (but don't use the phone if you are hooked on that bad habbit), you can listen to good music (I like old-pop), see a little TV (you have pleanty to do, so ignoring to boring stuff isn't too difficult), I take a turn or two of my CTP-PBEM games, might read a little while I am waiting for the next step...

And best of all - neither me nor my family gets sick just because of some junk-food.

	11-01-2003 00:18									#32
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In my case, its a cheaper way to introduce my children to dining out. I'd rather take them to small 'mom and pop' type ethnic restaurants but they dont exist here.

	11-01-2003 00:22									#33
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You mean there aren't good small ethnic places in Mountain Brook??

	11-01-2003 00:38									#34
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quote: Originally posted by Ramo I got a particularly nasty case of food poisoning over there a couple days ago. When I went to see a doctor about it, he said that he gets lots of cases of food poisoning from the Olive Garden. I'm not sure if this is due to the lack of proper regulations across the entire chain or one(s?) in Austin in particular, but it probably isn't a great idea to go to that restaurant unless you have to.

every olive garden is different

some are the pits
others are decent (theone in Salem oregon is decent)

Jon Miller

	11-01-2003 00:40									#35
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quote: Originally posted by Shi Huangdi I got food poisoning from them too when I was young IIRC. Sbarro's is a good Italian food chain, but for good Italian food its usually best to eat at a standalone restaurant

Sbarro's is absolutely the worst italian food I have ever had

I will never eat there again

the oline garden in Salem is actually good (not great or awesome) (for italian places I have gone to, and I have been to a decent number of nonchains)

Jon Miller

	11-01-2003 00:43									#36
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There are far too many good mom-and-pop Italian restaurants for anyone to be eating at some crapshack like the olive garden. Same goes for any "ethnic" food. Franchise food sucks.

	11-01-2003 01:07									#37
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quote: Originally posted by Sten Sture You mean there aren't good small ethnic places in Mountain Brook??

There are some good restaurants here (that I go to with my wife) but the mom and pop variety tend to be rustic bar-b-que (and for some I do mean rustic, a la fried green tomatoes). Good eats, but not where you teach your children about restaurant dining. In a few years they'll be old enough to take to the good ones.

How do you know mountain brook? Theres a decent French restaurant there "Rue de Provence".

	11-01-2003 03:00									#38
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i live in the bay area, i have plenty of indie restraunts to go to...

	11-01-2003 03:03									#39
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You're in America! Sue their arses off!

	11-01-2003 03:14									#40
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quote: Are there any restaurants in America that aren't part of a chain of some sort?

Of course... but it'd be silly to talk about local restaurants with people that live 2000 miles away .

quote: You're in America! Sue their arses off!

We you can, but you won't win. No real proof that the poisioning was caused by the Olive Garden.

	11-01-2003 03:22									#41
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MRT144: Yeah, SF has some great places... I live in Marin, we have some great Thai and Indian food up here. There are certainly a lot of chain alternatives in the Bay Area (actually, I don't know about the east bay).

	11-01-2003 03:32									#42
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quote: Originally posted by MRT144 i live in the bay area, i have plenty of indie restraunts to go to...

Ain't it great!


I work in Oakland, and it is a little more suburbia over here in the East Bay, but still pretty decent. I am afraid to go through the tunnel - I assume it is like LA over there.

	11-01-2003 12:20									#43
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, its more like stockton...

i live down on the peninsula in foster city and theres a great little place right by my house, about 4 blocks that is very good. family owned and everything.

	11-01-2003 12:30									#44
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quote: Originally posted by Alexander's Horse Are there any restaurants in America that aren't part of a chain of some sort?

I think that the stat was in 1980 60% of restaurants were independent, now it's 40%.

Though the quality of the chains has improved, it's still a shame that the chains are everywhere.

My favorite restaurants are all holes in the wall run by immigrants. They are the cheapest and offer the best food.

Adam Smith and GP

	11-01-2003 12:33									#45
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No Italians are immigrating here, so I don't have too many options besides regional/national chains. I guess there are those ultra high class restaurants, but in my [limited] experience they're absurdly overpriced. The Macaroni Grill is good enough for me as far as Italian food goes.

'Course, we do have amazing Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, and Iranian places (Austin has a booming tech economy and one of the largest universities in the world, after all) in addition to the obviously excellent Southern and Mexican places, so I'm not complaining.

	11-01-2003 12:37									#46
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The Asian food is way better than the Euro crap anyway.

	11-01-2003 12:39									#47
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True dat.

	11-01-2003 15:37									#48
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My tip for all you poisoned ones is always eat at busy restaurants. This principle has served me well all around the world with all kinds of food.

High customer volume usually means the food is good and fresh

	11-01-2003 15:50									#49
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Wow. A good tip from AH.

	11-01-2003 15:55									#50
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My whorehouse tips are better

	11-01-2003 16:33									#51
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What did the leper say to the prostitute?


"Keep the tip"

	12-01-2003 00:03									#52
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quote: Originally posted by Ted Striker I think that the stat was in 1980 60% of restaurants were independent, now it's 40%. Though the quality of the chains has improved, it's still a shame that the chains are everywhere.

Franchise operations are actually pushing other restaurants out of the market. The logic being that since they are "individually owned", they qualify for small business loans and incentives, even though the franchise operations themselves are mostly controlled by large corporations.

It's easier to get someone to open a franchise than to start a whole new retaurant because the big chains offer a lot of startup assistance, training, and advice, plus the built-in advantage of the brand name. As time goes by, it's getting harder for independants to enter this market. As old restaurants close, franchises replace them.

quote: My favorite restaurants are all holes in the wall run by immigrants. They are the cheapest and offer the best food.

My favortite place is a hole in the wall diner by my place. It looks like it hasn't been redecorated since 1965, but the food is great and I get a huge meal for about five bucks. The menu changes everyday too, which I like.

Never feel sick after I eat there, either.