In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> <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,
> > you get a "chain restaurant".... Olive Garden, TGIF,
> > Applebees, etc. etc.
> >
> > Can a small town restaurant serve good food
> > AND make a financial go of it too ??
> >
> >
> >
> Yes, we have several locally owned and operated restaurants of many
> flavors in our area and they are all "making it." Some moreso than
> others but most are doing well.
>
> We have our favorites, one is Richard's, a seafood and Cajun place
> nearby that was originally called the "Red Barn" and served barbecue.
> That one went under and Richard took it over. Remember that is "Ree
> chard", not Rich ard. We have favorites in Tex-Mex, Chinese,
> Mediterranean, etc. All owned and operated by local people and all
> making a decent living.
>
> It has been my experience that most areas have good local restaurants,
> you just have to look for them.

A friend and I took a three mile walk last night after work. We started
at our office and we ended up on 15th Street and Walnut in Philly. We
were hungry, so we went into a place called the Marathon Grill, which is
a locally owned chain of about three or four restaurants.

I haven't been to the Marathon Grill in ages. My friend got a huge
Caesar Salad and I got a grilled chicken sandwich. My sandwich came with
tomato and sauted mushrooms, and french fries. My friend had cappuccino
after our meal. We both had a bowl of their matzo ball soup too. Our
food was very enjoyable. With the tip and tax, we paid $22 each.

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced a friend from the suburbs to the
oldest family owned Italian restaurant in the United States. The name of
this place is called Ralph's. Its on 9th Street in South Philadelphia.
There is simply no other restaurant like Ralph's anywhere, and the same
can be said of several other family-owned Italian restaurants in that
area. I am a long-time fan of Ralph's food. They have awesome veal and
pasta with red sauce that's thick and loaded with tomato flavor. I think
we both spent around $25 for our dinner that night. Not bad at all.