What's With All The Old People At The Buffet?

Okay, so buffets are usually cheap and often older people are on a fixed income, but how much can (or should) a person eat?!  So why not go to a real restaurant, order an appetizer or salad, maybe a nice meal to share? Many restaurants have senior pricing. Perhaps it's just that they like to see what they're getting and don't want to risk ordering from a menu? I find it hard to believe they truly enjoy the cafeteria atmosphere or the mediocre quality of food. Perhaps it's popular because all their friends go there and they will have a chance to socialize? Maybe it's a pace issue - they can take what they want, eat as slow as they want, get more when they want, and not be rushed out by the wait staff? Is it because prime time becomes bed time and they need to finish eating really early? Well, I guess I just don't get it... yet!

After my kids were old enough to behave in real restaurants, I was very happy to give up the fast food and buffet style restaurants. No more taking turns to go get food, no more screaming kids bouncing around in the booth next to you (likely because their parents choose not to deal with teaching them manners), no more wasting money on something I could have cooked at home for less and would have tasted much better if I had!

I'm a restaurant snob, according to my friends. The problem is that I've been cooking most of my life and am a pretty good cook myself, so when I go out, I like to find something on the menu that I can't or simply don't make at home. There are some dishes that are just too much trouble to make from scratch myself and then there are cuisines that I'm not yet familiar enough with to make well at home. I'm not going out to order a grilled steak or steamed lobster - I'm quite good at cooking that already. I also enjoy the fact that the more upper scale restaurant you go to and the later you get there, the less likely there will be children there screeming and racing around the tables.

New and interesting dishes aren't my only criteria for a great place to eat. Atmosphere and cleanliness are on the top of my list. I love live music during dinner and you need to go out after 7 p.m. to get that in any restaurant around here. You won't get that at any buffet or fast food joint that I know of. However, some of the most interesting foods I have ever had are often at local diners and off the map kind of hole in the wall joints found only by getting lost on the way somewhere (before the days of GPS) or cruising back roads on the motorcycle.

I'd love to find out where all your favorite places to eat are. I'm always trying new spots and looking for ways to improve my recipes with hints from new dishes found around the country. Just to get us started, I'm going to list my top 10 favorite places to eat below.

1. Il Corso Ristorante Italiano, 54 West 55th St. # 1, New York, NY 10019
   (212) 957-1500
2. Hazard Grille, 39 Hazard Avenue, Enfield, CT 06082
   (860) 239-0004
3. Toasted Owl, 21 Main Street, Northampton, MA 01060
   (413) 585-5088
4. Fonda San Miguel, 2330 North Loop Boulevard, West Austin, TX 78756
   (512) 459-4121
5. Alforno Restaurant, 577 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903
   (401) 273-9760
6. The Wandering Moose Cafe, 421 Sharon Goshen Tpke, West Cornwall, CT 06796
   (860) 672-0178
7. The Rustic Cafe, 516 Boston Post Road, East Lyme, CT 06333
   (860) 691-0477
8. Lahaina Prime Rib & Fish Co., 831 Front Street, Lahaina, HI 96761
   (808) 661-3472
9. Bube's Brewery, 102 North Market Street, Mt Joy, PA 17552
   (717) 653-2056
10. Elephant Walk, 2067 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140
    (617) 492-6900

Nope, not a single buffet on this list and if you catch me at one anytime soon, you'll know I was dragged there kicking and screaming! There are so many more places that I truly love that it was incredibly difficult to narrow this list down to my top ten favorites. However, I would recommend any of these, regardless of your senior citizen status! I honestly hope I never get so old that I believe buffets are the way to go...