What restaurants would you recommend to visitors to your town?
NOT the nearest big city, but the town where you live.
Italian
Mexican
Seafood
American/Homestyle
Suwannee, GA
American/Homestyle - Cracker Barrel
Italian - Sophia Valentino’s Family Restaurant
Mexican - El Rodeo
Seafood - Joe’s Crabshack
But the one place I’d take them to personally would be
COPELANDS of New Orleans, I LUV that place
American/Homestyle:
The Sunrise on Main Street.
Italian:
Fratelli’s. Technically not in my town but it’s only about ten miles away and it’s really good.
Mexican:
There was a Mexican restaurant here in town that served really good food but their service was god-awful. I predicted they wouldn’t last six months and I was right.
Seafood:
No good local seafood restaurants unfortunately.
And I’ll add another category.
Burger Joint:
Tom Wahl’s. Also a few miles out of town, but worth the drive. Even though they stopped making pepper rings.
Dallas TX here;
Mexican: Cantina loradeo,Blue Mesa,Gloria’s
Italian: Campizzi’s
Seafood: Dont eat seafood
American: Black eyed pea.
Cajun: Razoo’s (even though you didn’t ask/ lot of seafood here too)
Chinese: Panda
Just up the road is Hopkins Cash & Carry where you can buy a pretty fair pizza or if you’re looking for a snack you can get a Moon Pie and an RC.
If you go five miles to Baldwyn you can get home cookin at either The Feed Mill or Sissy’s.
Down the Trace less than twenty miles in Tupelo, they’ve got lots of franchises like Red Lobster, Outback and Ruby Tuesday’s, but I’d suggest Harvey’s or Jefferson Place (the young crowd hangs out there). If you want some fancy food and don’t care what it costs go to Gloster 205. There’s a little greasy spoon in East Tupelo that claims that Elvis used to like their hamburgers, if you’re into local color.
Town: Ft Wayne, Indiana
Italian: Casa Mare, Casa Ristorante, Casa Grille, Casa d’Angelo’s - a local “chain” of restaurants. Their food is always spot-on, they have the best cheesecake I’ve ever tasted, and their dishes are absolutely incredible. Even one where you can build your own pasta dish, for those who never seem satisfied with what’s on the menu. Personal recommendations are the Chicken Parmagiana, the “build your own dish” option with cheese-stuffed spinach tortellini and double-mushrooms in a cream and parmesan sauce, or the canneloni. All excellent. Also a lot of seafood dishes at the Casa Mare location. Interesting murals on the walls.
Mexican: El Azteca - Best damned chili con carne in existence. Expansive menu with many interesting choices not normally found in a Mexican place, but with plenty of stuff for those not interested in Mexican, too. Interesting mural on the wall here, too, that makes it seem as though you’re looking over an Aztec village out to the sea. Nice deal. Personal recommendation? Any of the Mexican “classics” (taco, burrito, enchilada, etc.) with the “garlic herbed chicken and tomatoes” stuffing instead of the “spicy beef”. Interesting flavour.
Seafood: I despise seafood, I find it vile, so I don’t have any real knowledge, but Chapelle’s is the best seafood restaurant in town, so I’ve been told. It’s a restaurant and fresh fish market so you can buy your own. You can eat outside. And there’s a nice view of a pretty little fountain if you do so.
American/Homestyle: Going for just “American” here, as if I’m going to eat out I want to eat things that I can’t get at my parents’ house for Sunday dinner. Local five-star restaurant named “Catablu”, built in the building that once housed a porno theatre. (Seriously.) Now it’s an art gallery and highscale restaurant, with excellent cooking, and a beautiful atmosphere. Nothing like wandering through the upstairs gallery with a cup of wine (or upscale Pepsi if you’re a non-drinker grins) looking through the art while waiting for your table. Personal recommendations: for appetizers, duck bread (flatbread topped with a sour cream/cilantro sauce, fresh baby spinach leaves, sauteed mushrooms and shredded duck con fit) or crab and swiss fondue - I loved it, even though I don’t like seafood. Rack of lamb or the chicken breast stuffed with cheese and mushrooms for dinner; apple torte with cinnamon ice cream and caramel drizzle for dessert. Damn fine restaurant. sighs dreamily
Cafe Centrale
Ocala, FL
Italian: Bella Luna
Mexican: uh…pass
Seafood: Shell’s or Hightowers
American: Hightowers
American/Homestyle: The Barrel Head, 1577 Wabash Ave.
Mexican: Xochimilco’s, 2941 W. Iles
Italian: Saputo’s, 801 E. Monroe
Seafood: Chesapeake Seafood House, 3045 Clear Lake Avenue
And I'll add another category,
**Pub Grub:** D'Arcy's Pint, Town & Country Shopping Center, 2600 S. MacArthurLos Angeles, CA
Toi on Sunset Blvd. Thai/Chinese with a punk rock decor, open till 4AM nightly.
Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. Best waffles I ever tasted.
Moncton, NB, Canada
Italian - a small Italian restaurant here called Pastali’s is GREAT. You do end up paying a rather hefty price for your meal, and the desserts are nothing to write home about, but the appetizers are excellent (nummy escargots) and the entrees are fab, and big enough to fill any stomach. (I always have leftovers)
Mexican - We have two chain restaurants here, Mexicali Rosa’s and Lone Star (which is pretty much Tex-Mex). Both are good. Have to say I enjoy Mexi’s food better, but the Lone Star has better margaritas 
Seafood - No idea. I know there was a fisherman’s paradise around here. Cy’s used to be the best, but it went under 9or moved) before I was old enough to eat there.
Canadian/Homestyle - There’s a smallish family restaurant over in Riverview called ‘the Homestead’ that has absolutely great food for very reasonable prices. I love the seafood chowder. The sandiwiches are great. The breakfasts specials are great. The CHEESECAKE is like… sex in a wedge 
Oh, yummy. I can rarely finish my slice, as they’re very thick.
2 for L.A.
(1) La Golondrina, Olvera Street. Don’t be put off by all the tourist trappings that make up Olvera Street, because this is one of the best Mexican restaurants in town. The chips, fresh-made, are beyond compare, as are the margaritas. If you have more than two of the latter, you may want to hunt up some charitable institution to help you recover afterwards.
As for the food, just order anything. EVerything on the menu is great.
(2) Le Petit Zinc, north side of Wilshire near Bundy, West L.A. Excellent French food and wine. Where red wine is approprite, damn the sulfites and order the Chateauneuf-du-Pape (I think it was Pere Caboche).
For seafood goto Cafe Pacific
I live in New York City.
American/Homestyle: Home, 20 Cornelia Street (between Bleecker and West 4th). It’s got a narrow little room on a small street in the Village, with a cute little garden area out back, and it serves…well, homestyle American. With interesting twists. I’ve had a chicken-dumpling stew much lighter and tastier than any chicken and dumpling concoction I’ve seen, and an oyster po’boy with a fantasic red cabbage-and-pickle dressing, and, oh, just so many nice things.
Italian: Villa Mosconi, 69 MacDougal Street (between Houston and Bleecker). Old-world South Italian checkered tablecloth joint, dating back to when this part of Greenwich Village WAS Little Italy. Make their own pasta, and everything from the chicken livers to the veal rolatini to the scarpariello to the strachiatella is JUST the way you envision an Italian-American restaurant version to be. Nice waiters, too. Bonus: frequented by priests and gangsters.
Mexican: Mi Cocina, 57 Jane Street (corner of Hudson). I haven’t been there since the expansion (a couple months back), but Mi Cocina was one of the first real Mexican restaurants in NYC. I lived through the 1980s, which were awash in hi-octane maragaritas followed by gloopy combination platters, but by 1990 or so we had Zarela and Rosa Mexicano and this little West Village beauty.
Seafood: AquaGrill, 210 Spring Street (corner of Sixth Avenue). Fine raw bar, and nice presentation of excruciatingly fresh fish and shellfish, prepared simply. Runner-up: The Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station, for a more old-fashiond approach…oyster stews, chowders, etc.
[Edited by Ukulele Ike on 11-12-2001 at 11:40 AM]
I just noticed that all my choices are within about a ten-minute walk of each other.
Oh, well, anyone who dines above 14th Street DESERVES to dine above 14th Street.
since your getting picky, and insisting MY TOWN, i cant recommend anything. i live in a cave in the middle of nowhere!
From my home town of Paw Paw, MI:
Italian: La Cantina. They have fine Italian cuisine and it is locally owned and operated.
Mexican: None. The closest authentic Mexican restaurant would be in Lawrence (10 minutes away) called “Acapulco Restaurant”, and they have awesome Mexican food.
Seafood: None again. There are no exclusively seafood type restaurants in Paw Paw.
American/Homestyle: Two I would recommend:
Bistro 120. Another locally owned and operated establishment. The menu changes daily and you never NEVER leave without a box for the extra food. You always get huge portions.
Coyote Creek Restaurant and Saloon. Not only do they have great food that is much better than anything you’d get at Outback Steakhouse, but you don’t get the hour wait, plus…
[Obligatory plug]
I perform magic there on Saturdays, so come in and see me.
[/Obligatory plug]
I was thining about Mexicali Rosa’s the other day. I used to go to the one in Halifax. I remember their margarita’s being OK but the food was good, and really about the only real mexican food in the city itself.
mmmmmmmm
Mesa, AZ
There isn’t much here in the way of good eateries.
Italian, SOL
Mexican, Cafe Sinaloa (Good grub, but it’s a dive)
Seafood, SOL
American, The Landmark (best salad bar ever)
Sushi, Sakai, (Really, really top quality)
Pub food, The Vine
The good news is that both Tempe, and Scottsdale, are only 15 minutes away, and filled with good restaurants.
Missoula, MT:
Italian: The Red Bird. Fancy, and somewhat expensive, but really the only good Italian restaurant in town.
Mexican: None. We used to have a place called El Topo Azul, which served the most fabulous fish tacos, but they closed. 
Seafood: We only have one pure seafood place that I know of, and I think it’s a chain (not like Long John Silver’s, though); it’s called Joey’s Only, and it’s not bad. It’s mostly fried seafood, and the halibut is really quite good. Other than that, you can find seafood (particularly salmon and trout) in almost any good restaurant.
American/Homestyle: Well, the Double Front Cafe serves some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had; supremely greasy, but I like that in fried chicken. Two Sisters is really good also.
New categories:
Chinese: Either Hong Kong Chef or Triple Dragon. Very serviceable, decent food. Not stellar, but for a place with no Chinese community to speak of (anymore), not bad.
Thai: The Bangkok. Pretty excellent; the peanut curry sauce is some of the best I’ve tasted, and I used to live in Houston, home of five million Thai restaurants, all of which are excellent.
Middle Eastern/Mediterranean: Perugia. Quite expensive (entrees top out at almost $30), but well worth it. The only Middle Eastern food in town, really.
Steak: Guy’s Lolo Creek Steakhouse. Not really in Missoula, but in Lolo (10 minutes south). Wonderful steaks, but don’t go if you have an objection to taxidermy.
Two other restaurants I have to mention just because they’re fabulous: Chinook (my personal fave) and Marianne’s (which is in the basement of an old apartment building/theater).
Jeez, that was long. Can you tell I love eating out? 
Nashville, TN here:
Steak/Spaghetti: Demos’. Best damn sirloin with spaghetti(with brown butter/garlic sauce) ever.
Deli: Noshville. Huge sandwiches, great soup, and cheesecake from the Carnagie deli flown in daily.
Southern(ie fried): Cock o’ the walk. Great Catfish.
Mexican: Camino Real. Just stunningly good.
Chinese: Dragon Garden. No eat-in, just take out. Huge portions.
No real good italian, although my girlfriend would disagree, she likes a place called Basante’s.
Breakfast/Fried Chicken: The Loveless Cafe
Barbecue: Whitt’s, although you’d get an argument for Bar-B-Cutie.
Can you tell I eat out a lot?