Restaurant Faves

Inspired by this post by Erin, here are some of my restaurant favorites. Being the foodie that I am, I am always willing to try someplace new, especially if it comes with a recommendation from a friend.

Top Italian

Biaggi's ~ When comparing it to Olive Garden, there just is NO contest. I love the more upscale atmosphere, the more flavorful menu, the different daily foccacia varieties, and the prices are comparable. I've enjoyed this place so much that I chose it as the site of my grandmother's 80th birthday party. As always, the food and service was great!

Other Italian places we've enjoyed include:
Nicolino's Italian Restaurant ~ McHenry, IL
Tuscany ~ various Chicagoland locations

Top Quick Service

I really enjoy eating at "quick-service" places as opposed to fast-food. If I'm going to spend $10 at the drive through, I rather spend a couple dollars more & get food quality that is significantly improved over the fast-food joint.

Noodles & Co ~ Obviously I somewhat biased since I used to work here, but I think I would enjoy their food & atmosphere regardless. There is a category of pasta for every palate: American, Asian & Italian. I *always* get the Trio now, which is a small salad, small noodle dish, and your choice of protein {chicken, beef, or shrimp} for $6.95. Great food for value in my opinion!

Panera ~ Again, nice atmosphere. Fresh menu with seasonal changes. Good value.

Top Fast Food

You've read my reasoning on quick-service vs. fast-food above, but when I do go for a drive through burger, it is almost always:

Culver's ~ There burgers are made fresh TO ORDER! {Need I say anything else?} You aren't getting a burger that's been sitting under a warmer for who knows how long. I like to add lots of veggies to mine like lettuce, tomato, and red onion {slices of onion mind you, not those little chopped pieces at the inferior fast-food joints}. I like the thick cut fries too. Their Garden Fresco salad is an amazing value. It is huge, with lots of toppings & only costs $3.99. Oh, and for the kiddies, I much rather have a coupon for a free custard than some rinky-dink happy-meal toy that ends up in the trash. If I'm paying for it, I rather pay for the custard. I save the coupons for later & then the kids can have an ice cream treat even if I'm low on cash.

Top Burger

Red Robin ~ Of course! So many burger options to choose from, not to mention appetizers, chicken sandwiches, wraps and salads. They have a reasonably priced kiddie menu as well. I love their thick cut {bottomless} fries. If you sign up for their e-club, you will get a "free gift" for signing up, plus a free burger on your birthday {frugal-ness here people}! Also worth mentioning is that after one of our first few initial visits I filled out a comment card regarding how I enjoyed the restaurant & our great service, etc. and got a letter in the mail thanking me for my comments along with $2 off my next visit. Nice!

Top Steakhouse

Sadly, I haven't tried enough of them to really have a good opinion. Has anyone been to Morton's? Or the Weber Grill? Or Gibson's? Since I haven't tried a big variety, the place we go to when I crave steak is:

The Outback ~ It's local. Hubs likes the cheese fries. I like the awesome blossom. It fills the need when we want a steak. Honestly though, if I feel like cooking I just go to our local butcher & pick up some ribeyes. I'll saute some mushrooms & onions or make homemade onion rings, combined with a good salad and......oh, yeah. This is supposed to be about restaurants......

I came across this Chicago Steakhouse Ranking that seems pretty informative. I am thinking I will call my dad soon & ask him to take me to one of the top four {maybe to celebrate the big 3-0 next year}. That's what dads are for, right?

In conclusion....
...I don't have any really amazing recommendations for Chinese {wish I did} or seafood or Mexican {um, yeah, we never go OUT for Mexican}. If I am going to recommend something it better be good all around. Some Chinese places have great dishes, but terrible egg rolls or fried rice. We went to Plum Garden a while back & I remember enjoying it, but not enough to rave about it. I can't wait to try Pappadeux's that Erin recommended. Seafood sounds so yummy these days! Here are a few other tidbits of my faves:

For a milkshake, I stop at: Steak 'n Shake ~ They're hand-dipped authentic milkshakes people. With whipped cream. And a cherry.

When I'm in the city, I like to order from: Leona's ~ I love the menu! Everything is so fresh, lots of great salads, huge grilled veggie skewers as a side dish, uber yummy sandwiches and pastas.

For a neighborhood bar & grill, I go to: Chili's ~ They're local. I know their menu {love the Boneless Shanghai Wings}. I have had lots of service issues though. I would say their consistency is spotty. Maybe I am getting the rookie server everytime, I dunno.

Best "Experience" Restaurant: The Rainforest Cafe ~ We just took the kids there recently & it was so much fun! I remember going there when I was younger & being amazed at all there is to take in. The food is great too {even if a little pricey}, lots of different flavor combos & options to choose from.

I think that covers a lot of it. This post is getting way too long as it is. I would also love to hear everyone's favorites, especially if you are local to me, so I can try some new places.