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 ??

<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 ?

Freakin' american marketing.

> What does the Italian, or Frenchman pay
> for dinner in a restaurant ? ( I'm not talking gourmet )

Between 8 and 400 euros.
--
Vilco
Mai guardare Trailer park Boys senza
qualcosa da bere a portata di mano

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

"Bobo Bonobo®" > wrote in message
...
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.

Hey! My cat likes 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.


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

--Bryan

I live in a really small place. Just because it's a small town and all the
restaurants are family owned does not mean they're good. They serve slop
too. There's no competition, they can serve whatever the hell they want and
still make a go of it.

Ms P

On Mar 27, 1:11*pm, "Ms P" > wrote:
> "Bobo Bonobo®" > wrote in message
>
> ...
> 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.
>
> Hey! My cat likes 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.
>
> Oh, small town. *Do you mean that you have Applebee's, Friday's and
> the like, but no decent restaurants?
>
> --Bryan
>
> I live in a really small place. *Just because it's a small town and all the
> restaurants are family owned does not mean they're good. *They serve slop
> too. *There's no competition, they can serve whatever the hell they want and
> still make a go of it.

I've found that restaurants in counties where cows outnumber humans to
be more likely to serve margarine and non-dairy creamer. They call
the margarine, "butter."
>
> Ms P

--Bryan

Ms. P wrote:

> I live in a really small place. Just because it's a small town and all
> the restaurants are family owned does not mean they're good. They serve
> slop too. There's no competition, they can serve whatever the hell they
> want and still make a go of it.

That makes me sad. Also makes me want to start a GOOD restaurant there, so
that the residents don't have to settle for slop.

One of the best restaurants in this area is in a tiny town named Plymouth.
(www.restauranttaste.com is their web site.) Unfortunately, I think they're
struggling to stay afloat these days because their customer base has
dwindled so drastically, and people in more-populated areas are not
interested in driving an hour to dine there.


Bob

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> Ms. P wrote:
>
>> I live in a really small place. Just because it's a small town and all
>> the restaurants are family owned does not mean they're good. They serve
>> slop too. There's no competition, they can serve whatever the hell they
>> want and still make a go of it.
>
> That makes me sad. Also makes me want to start a GOOD restaurant there, so
> that the residents don't have to settle for slop.
>
> One of the best restaurants in this area is in a tiny town named Plymouth.
> (www.restauranttaste.com is their web site.) Unfortunately, I think
> they're
> struggling to stay afloat these days because their customer base has
> dwindled so drastically, and people in more-populated areas are not
> interested in driving an hour to dine there.
>
>
> Bob

It really is pretty sad. It's like that in this whole area though. The
only place you'll find a fresh veggie being served is Applebee's. Every
other place serves canned and bagged lettuce and those weird pink tomatoes.

Almost all the restuarants serve the same stuff off the same food service
truck.

As long as you don't mind steak or chicken fried steak it's fine though.

Ms P

Ms. P wrote:
>
> I live in a really small place. Just because it's a small town and all
> the restaurants are family owned does not mean they're good. They serve
> slop too. There's no competition, they can serve whatever the hell they
> want and still make a go of it.
>

There are plenty of greasy spoons around here that essentially serve slop...
but often in rural areas the bar is more important than the kitchen... even
in not so rural areas. Where I live the best local eaterys are at the golf
courses and ski lodges... but even though the settings and buildings and
furnishing/decor are magnificent the food is only so-so, and pricey. But
the drinks are superb, generous, and priced lower than at the typical big
city eaterys and stand alone gin mills. A lot of folks really don't go out
to eat food with their immediate family members (they can do that at home),
they go out for the comraderie, and so the bar is the main focal point, not
so much the private dining areas. In rural areas folks live far apart and
work hard and long hours, they don't get to interact with other folks often
so they consider "going out" a social event with friends and neighbors. And
don't get me wrong, the food at these places is good and plentiful, but
plain, it's not what one would expect at multi-star big city joints, not
that fancy schmancy presentation is any recommendation for quality... the
beer, wine, and spirits list is far longer than their menu.

Ms P wrote:
>
>> 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.
>
>
> Oh, small town. Do you mean that you have Applebee's, Friday's and
> the like, but no decent restaurants?
>
> --Bryan
>
> I live in a really small place. Just because it's a small town and all
> the restaurants are family owned does not mean they're good. They serve
> slop too. There's no competition, they can serve whatever the hell they
> want and still make a go of it.


I live in a small town too. There are two restaurants in the village.
One is a greasy spoon and their food is passable. If you want a burger
and fries they are lot better than any chain, but also sell the usuall
greasy spoon fare like hot beef sandwiches, slouvaki etc. The other is
a mediocre Italian restaurant with the usual variations of pasta shapes
with red sauces. In the main town we have one McDonald's, which appears
to be the most unprofitable store in the the golden arches empire. There
are at least a half dozen other family owned restaurants, which all sell
pretty good food. Several of them are excellent.

<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.

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.

On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:11:49 -0500, George Shirley wrote:

> <RJ> wrote:
>>
>> 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.

i think a lot of family-run places can serve decent food at a good price
because they don't pay the 'help' (i.e., their families) very much.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:56:15 -0700, <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 ??

A 3 dish lunch in Provençe: Entree, plat, dessert including 0,25 l wine,
euro 12,- during weekdays.
Today (Friday, fish!) I ate: entree: Coquille St. Jacques, plat: stuffed
calamar and rice in tomatosauce, dessert: Éclair aux chocolat. Vin rosé (2
glasses) ‚¬ 12.-
There are lots of restaurants and cafés that offer similar meals at that
price at lunchtime.
Dinner, evening prices are higher. Typical ‚¬ 18.- for a 3-dish menu,
without wine. Dinner is only served in restaurants, not in cafés.
Remember, these are not Paris prices.

--
Groet, salut, Wim.

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,
> 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 ??

It is all in the marketing - if you have really great food and prices
that reflect the food but aren't over-inflated, precise marketing plus
word of mouth does wonders. We have several restaurants in itty-bitty
wide places in the road around here that do a booming business because
of marketing plus word of mouth.

Know your target demographic and make your marketing fit that but also
include anyone else who would rather not go to dinner in cut-offs and
flip-flops. It takes a lot of capital to last the first couple years,
but once established, if the quality doesn't degrade, it should
provide a pretty good living in addition to being very rewarding if
you are passionate about food.

Of course, it is commonly said that most restaurants not in big metro
areas make their profits on liquor, not food.

N.

"<RJ>" > wrote in message
news
> 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 ??

Much of Europe has good dining compared to the US. The American chains are
making progress, but the small towns still have family owned restaurants
that serve good food. You are more likely to find them in Italy, Spain,
France from my experience than Scandinavian countries, but that may be more
of my food preference. Good wine is more abundant than the US and cheaper
in most cases.

Food is just a bit more expensive that the US but the ingredients are more
likely to be locally grown and hand prepared. Grocery stores are different
in selection too. Less frozen, less processed foods, but still a fair amount
of prepared on premises foods. You can buy bread in smaller quantities,
like a half or quarter loaf. Slice white bread is only a tiny portion of
the bread shelf. Fish will probably be a whole fish instead of pretty
little fillets.
Mort.

"Shawn Hirn" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "<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.

Wtf do you live? The closest fast food/family chain joint to me is ten
miles away. There are plenty of fine dining restaurants within five miles
of my front door... a relatively new one (2nd year) is within walking
distance (1 mile), another great old place an 1/8 mile further... a really
fancy B&B with public dining by reservation is another 1/4 mile, and there
are many more close by in other directions.

> What town do you live in? I can walk about 20 minutes from my suburban
> home and find excellent dining options. If I hop a train or make a 20
> minute drive into Center City Philadelphia, the dining options are
> virtually endless. Of course, we have fast food and diners, but there
> are also some superb locally owned Italian and Chinese places in my
> area, as well as numerous other types of restaurants.
>
>> Is superb Euro-cuisine a myth ?
>> If so, how do they keep it that way ?
>
> What's your definition of "Euro-cuisine?"
>
>> What does the Italian, or Frenchman pay
>> for dinner in a restaurant ? ( I'm not talking gourmet )
>
> Ask him.
>
>> If you want to go a step above McDonalds, Arby's etc,
>> you get a "chain restaurant".... Olive Garden, TGIF,
>> Applebees, etc. etc.
>
> Those are all available in my area, but so are numerous locally owned
> restaurants.
>
>> Can a small town restaurant serve good food
>> AND make a financial go of it too ??
>
> Yes, absolutely.

Ditto.