[Ghoulish Delight]

Here's a simple anecdote as to why I so dislike most chains.

Near our old place in Irvine, we found a wonderful little Italian place. The decor was pleasant, the food was excellent, and the prices were reasonable. Unfortunately, one of its other charms was that it was always nearly empty. You can guess what happened to it.

One of the reasons it was always empty was that there was what I would describe as a chain-level restaurant just down the road. I don't think it was actually a chain, but it had the "feel" of a chain in terms of its trendy atmosphere and the quality of the food (slightly better than Olive Garden, but not particularly good).

And here's the kicker. Not only was the food not as good as our favorite little place, nor was the decor anywhere near as classy, but it was more expensive. And yet that place had a line.

I'm sure we can get all chicken-and-egg with this, but it's getting harder and harder to find truly good food in the casual dining price range, and that ticks me off.