Comments on A Tuscan foodie in America: The American Casual dining chain project

Coming soon!

2012-01-21T10:34:46.783-06:00

Coming soon!

MMM-where is the write up on Chili's? YMW

2012-01-18T19:04:25.076-06:00

MMM-where is the write up on Chili's? YMW

Jesse, I have actually eaten at red lobster once a...

2012-01-16T10:52:02.174-06:00

Jesse, I have actually eaten at red lobster once already, and Imliked it. But I want to go back...

Trobairitz, thanks for the site. Handy indeed. Since I moved to the US I have been to fast food chains only very rarely. My only weakness are Chipotle's chicken burritos. I love them...

I look forward to hearing your opinions on these d...

2012-01-16T10:19:12.237-06:00

I look forward to hearing your opinions on these different dining establishments. Sometimes they are the only option when dining out if we don't want fast food. We must be choosy in what we pick on the menu if health is a concern.

Since turning vegetarian then vegan it has become increasingly difficult to find menu items when traveling. With a little internet research we know things like Red Robin has vegan options for their burgers and buns too.

I think there are good menu items and bad with each restaurant and most are flexible when asking for a healthier option.

If you are curious calorie labs has a website that lists the calorie content of a lot of food from restaurant chains.

http://calorielab.com/index.html

Again, I look forward to your opinion on these restaurants.

Happy Eating.......

I have never been to a Red Lobster before, so it w...

2012-01-16T09:53:00.469-06:00

I have never been to a Red Lobster before, so it would be a first for both of us

Jesse, true that: indeed, in some of these chains ...

2012-01-16T07:55:12.060-06:00

Jesse, true that: indeed, in some of these chains (not all of them though, think of the cheesecake factory) very little cooking takes place in the restaurant. But you can't deny that often the alternative offer is either...non existent or worse than this.

Again, to go back to our experience in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico...the food we got in local places in small cities along the route was disgusting, honest to God. And there were no salad, no soups, never. True that if you go to Chili's and order a portion of Texas fries (loaded with cheese and chili) and you eat it on your own, you might as well kill yourself...but you can go the and order a grilled steak, or fish, or a soup. It won't be haute cuisine indeed, but it will be good flavored food, edible and controlled at the source. And I think that's a l ot more than you can get in small villages or in food deserts in this country...

Of course big cities do not count here: I agree that going to these places in a city such as Chicago is probably NOT the best idea!

By the way, you should accompany me to Uncle Julio's or Reed Lobster...

I appreciate your goal, as I think it is an honest...

2012-01-16T01:49:49.363-06:00

I appreciate your goal, as I think it is an honest and true exploration of a very popular phenomenon in the USA. That said, I have mixed feelings about this endeavor. My primary issue is that most of these chains (Fridays, Applebees, Chilis etc.) have highly processed food that is cooked off site, frozen, and shipped to the chains for final cooking before service. These menu items are the furthest thing from 'cuisine' and are swimming in added sodium, sugar and fat, engineering the dishes to appeal to humans at a physiological level.

Don't get me wrong, an individual is responsible for their own decisions . But there is an epidemic of obesity in this country, and the armies of food chemists who develop the dishes at these restaurants are packing the calories in more and more - We are talking about nutritional values were the majority of dishes have calorie counts in four digits and carry two to three times the daily recommended amount of fat and sodium. Look at Chili's menu nutritional values

http://www.chilis.com/EN/LocationSpecificPDF/MenuPDF/001.005.0000/Chilis_Nutrition_Menu_Generic.pdf

In any case, I do look forward to your adventure and seeing what you have to say about these restaurants.