Do you have a hard time findin "real" food restaurants?

[gloomcookie]

My domestic partner and I made a semi-serious pact with one another to avoid chain restaurants and eat at local places where we thought we would be more likely to find real fresh food, rather than things warmed over with a microwave or bought prepared.
This is proving to be more difficult than we thought. We're assuming some of this is due to where we live - D/FW area of Texas.
Has anyone else run into this problem?

[BerryBaby]

We are very fortunate in Portland to have many independently owned and operated restaurants. They have access to incredible locally grown ingredients. The selection of restaurants is amazing.

If you ever looking for a suggestion for a vacation destination, this is the place...anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. You will not be disappointed.

[Food Network Fan]

Much of the individually owned places here are bars or "road stand" type places and they serve a lot of deep fried and commercially made products like what you would find at the big warehouse stores. Even the ones that are Sunday dinner type places have a lot of really heavy food. My parents love those kind of places and they are popular. Deep fried and covered in gravy.

When my husband was overseas my parents wanted me and the kids to go out to eat with them every Sunday. If I ordered a salad at those places it was a VERY small bowl full of iceberg lettuce, one tomato wedge and maybe a slice of cucumber with a few carrot shavings on top and a plastic cup of thick fatty dressing almost as big as the bowl the salad was in.

[BerryBaby]

I'm sorry you don't have variety to chose from. If I lived there, I'd eat at home a lot!

[Food Network Fan]

And I do. That's why I wanted my kitchen to have the items I need. My proofer is valuable to me. We order pizza occasionally but I find it salty and I enjoy homemade far more.

We do have some of the big chains that I enjoy occasionally. The Outback, Applebees, Friday's, Chili's, Olive Garden and a few others where I can usually find something I like. It's nothing special of course because it is a chain. But I rarely have a meal at those places I didn't find acceptable. And it's nice to get to go SOMEWHERE.

[Chefnot]

I'm not a fast food person by no means, but I am surprised when I do eat at such with the variety, the quality, and more so the consistancy. Pretty incredible really.

[annabella]

Yes, yes, yes! OMGosh, yes! We literally live in between Disney, Seaworld and Universal Studios in Orlando. You would think there would be some of the best dining found anywhere here due to all of the tourists that come through. Sadly, it's nothing but chain after chain.

We have to travel about 30 minutes away from here to get to a small, local restaurant that serves real food that tastes great.

So, yeah, when we don't want to cook, you unfortunately might find us at Joes Crabshack. Sigh.

[radiodugger]

Here in South Florida, we have so many Chinese Buffets, it's difficult to choose which one is best. I get tired of that quickly, though. No brag, but I can make better, myself.

I did find one little place I like. Ever eat at a Brazilian Buffet? Real food. Done the old-fashioned way, by a little bitty dark lady, that looks quite ancient. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING is microwaved or short-cutted. Just good, simple baked chicken, roasted pork (OMG...to DIE for!!), paella, Yucca potatoes, two additional different rice dishes and a BBQ section that is phenomenal! Plus a complete salad bar.

Chain places bore me lately. But finding a new ETHNIC place has made me VERY pleased! Some of our small Mexican places are the same way...simple, real food, and done RIGHT!

Radio Doug

[Food Network Fan]

We went to the Outback tonight while out Christmas Shopping. It was very good.

[isilzha]

As sick as it is, I'm pretty content with all the processed food, and restaurant junk you get. Sad isn't it?