RESTAURANT REVIEWS

[marmalady]

What's your favorite restaurant? What's the food like? Service - Do you get good treatment from the wait staff, especially after they've gotten to know your needs?

Is it accessible? Does the staff accommodate space issues for your chair?

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Tough times don't last - tough people do.

[ohiochica]

i love longhorn steak house. but....... teh tabless are low and i doubt many chairs can fit under them. the wait crew is awesome though! and the food is wonderful! mmmmm....now i want longhorn.

[betheny]

Check out Wired on Wheels, a not-for-profit online organization dedicated to rating restaurants nationwide for accessibility. www.wiredonwheels.com (http://www.wiredonwheels.com)
The website has printable rating forms and clear instructions on how to rate an establishment for parking, maneuverability, bathroom access, etc. Any user may post a rating for a restaurant. This site will be very handy for travelers hoping to get a hassle-free bite to eat anywhere in the United States.

C5/6 incomplete, injured Aug. 2000

[~Patrick~]

Thanks Bethany! That could prove to be a very valuable site.

I went to a "Red Robin" the other day. By the time we got to the door they had a table setup for us and people at both doors to welcome us all. Food was ok for a sports bar. The Coors was nice and icey!

T-10 complete
10/08/01
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(_o_)

[Scott Pruett]

favorite chain: Macaroni Grill (http://www.macaronigrill.com/).

I gave up on the whole "making sure restaurants are accessible" bit a while ago. If I can get in the door & there're no barriers to the tables, I just go. If I end up somewhere I can't get into, I turn around & head somplace else (of course this differs if dinner somewhere is planned in advance -- dates, groups, etc). Easy. I've never had issues w/ disability discrimination... any place around here gladly moves a chair, etc to accomodate. You just gotta smile, be assertive, & don't assume they know exactly what to do.

I like a lot of hole-in-the-wall type restaurants... local stuff, whether microbreweries, cafes, etc etc. Those are probably my favs b/c of the small-town atmosphere.

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There will be plenty of time to rest when I'm dead and gone, until then, 150% straight ahead....

[duramater]

Scott--Cracker Barrel....yummmmm

[jimnms]

My favorite place is a local BBQ place called Goldies. They've been here since before I was born, so I'm sure their building is ADA exempt. They don't have HC spots, but I've never had a problem getting in.

I usually get the mixed plate with sliced pork and sausage, with baked beans and tater salad as sides. They have the best sweat tea and garlic bread in the world.

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Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

[steveg]

Chicago has so many good restaurants. For special occasions Charlie Trotter's in Chicago is amazing. For more casual dining I like going to Vietnamese town or Kamehachi for sushi.

[Lshall82978@yahoo.com]

Originally posted by scott (jmu):

favorite chain: http://www.macaronigrill.com/.

Scott, that's my favorite restaurant! YUMMY!! I always get the great your own: bowtie pasta, mushrooms, black olives, spinach, garlic, in a tomato cream sauce. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

And their bread ROCKS!

[chick]

SteveG, ever watch "Check Please" on PBS? Good reviews from Chicagoans.

[steveg]

Chick

Yes, I've caught it a few times. Used to be hosted by Amanda Puck (Wolfgang Puck's daughter). I like the concept. So what's your favorite restuarant in Chicago.

Steve

[joyt]

el toro -- omg, good! their flautas (raven gave me the recipe, too)...i love them! http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

atlanta bread company -- fantastic lunches and soups...great in this winter weather! http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

california pizza kitchen -- tried and true. we've never been disappointed! http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

none of these are grandiose but are extremely helpful...all stay crowded!

our macaroni grill is very bland...even the kids say so...

joy
"Now the only healthy way to live, as I see it, is to learn to like all the little every day things."
~ Gus McCrae

[chick]

Can't say I have a favorite. I went to Opera, recently and it was maybe a bit disappointing. I did see it reviewed on Check Please and maybe expected something a bit different, but we went when there was mostly an after work crowd, rather than a more lively weekend crowd (as depicted on show). I loved the decor and open layout but the food wasn't anything extraordinary.

[Theophania]

Chino Latino

http://a1672.g.akamaitech.net/7/1672/33/a5536b17aade1f/images.citysearch.com/profile/f2/4d/5583957p1.jpg

You order a bunch of small "plates" that you share and their bar looks like it's straight from a James Bond movie.

[Mountaineer]

A roadside barbeque house, locally owned. Easily accessible into and I can fit at the tables. On Mondays they do a full pig pickin' The pig has been roasting over pit with wood fire and smoke. When ready the whole hog is laid out, backside up and split down the middle and the diners help themselves to their favorite steaming site for pork. I favor the hind quarters. Plus they BBQ ribs as an extra. The sides are pinto beans, hush puppies, tomato and orkra, green beans, collard greens, small salad bar and vanilla cookie pudding. Now that's about as close to heaven on earth as a person can hope to get.

[duge]

A very well prepared Chinese is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!

[marco25]

My pet peeve at restaurants, especially the "nicer" ones, is that they almost without exception want to put the person in a wheelchair right next to the kitchen door! WTF? http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/confused.gif

After a couple of those experiences, whenever we would eat out, I'd announce to the hostess or whomever that we didn't want a booth or to be eating in the (damn) kitchen.

[jimnms]

I went to a really cool Japanese restaurant yesterday. It's the kind where they seat you around the grill thing, and the cook comes out and cooks everything in front of you. The food was really good, but I think I enjoyed watching the guy cook more than I did eating it.

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Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Heres one of my favorite places. Food is so good, I love their sauce, very good flavor.
http://www.laroccos.com/

[marco25]

Curtis, the restaurant sounds wonderful. Thanks for the link. I'm assuming, however, that there's a wheelchair entrance somewhere. Doesn't look very accessible from the front.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Yep, that place has the best Italian food I have ever had, it is located right in the heart of Destin Florida. I sure wish it was a chain or something as I dont know if I will ever be back to Destin again. Hopefully someday.

If you look to the left of the Steps, there is a big long ramp. A lot of places in Florida I notice have ramps that run right around the buildings unlike here in Rhode Island where they just dont bother with ramps for the most part. I have to drive an hour to the Dentist Tomorrow as all the endodantists offices around here are not wheelchair accessable. Having a root canal done, not looking forward to it.