On Mar 27, 10:56*am, "<RJ>" > wrote:
> It's a common scene in food commercials.
> Bucolic scene, filtered sunlight, the ristorante
> serving "food to die for" usually in Tuscany.
>
> I know we have that setting in hundreds of
> places in the U.S. *, but if you go into town
> for a meal, chances are your choice will be
> between a McDonalds, or the local "deep fryer" diner.
>
> Is superb Euro-cuisine a myth ?
> If so, how do they keep it that way ?
>
> What does the Italian, or Frenchman pay
> for dinner in a restaurant ? *( I'm not talking gourmet )
>
> If you want to go a step above McDonalds, Arby's etc,

There isn't much worse than Arby's.

> you get a "chain restaurant".... Olive Garden, TGIF,
> Applebees, etc. etc. *

Where do YOU live? I'll remind myself not to visit that backwater.
We have plenty of nice, reasonably priced, independently owned
restaurants here in St. Louis.

Here's a favorite:
http://www.menuism.com/links/show/dP...4r3yIraby-gLFx
Great papou and gyros, and the extra gyro meat side order is
generously sized.

Here's another that has been mentioned here recently:
http://hacienda-stl.com/aboutus.html
>
> Can a small town restaurant serve good food
> AND make a financial go of it too ??

Oh, small town. Do you mean that you have Applebee's, Friday's and
the like, but no decent restaurants?

--Bryan