Good chains:
Italian: Macaroni Grill, not bad, though they need to lose the "crayons and white paper tablecloth;" good because each dish tastes different
Greek: Daphne's Greek Cafe - found only in the West and throughout SoCal - can you a believe a skewered chicken kabob, shaved gyro meat, small Greek salad, rice, pita slices and tsaziki sauce for $ 8.49?
Mexican: most are ok, though not that imaginative and Acapulco's in Portland is my favorite of the sit-down ones. Of the fast food ones, El Pollo Loco is pretty good...especially with a coupon
Argentinian: Gaucho Grill, chain in SoCal
American: Cheesecake Factory is super reliable, Bob's Big Boy in the California format (there are Big Boys in other states that carry different "first names") for that damn double-decker hamburger and bleu cheese dressing, Hometown Buffet has some decent stuff, especially for a Sunday morning buffet, Boston Market, the Black Bear Diner in the West, Lucille's in the West
Bad chains:
Italian: Olive Garden, bad because, underneath the white sauce/red sauce "fork in the road," they all taste the same, Buca di Beppo, effin' awful and bad kitsch atmosphere - aimed at those who don't know EYE-talian food, C&O Trattoria in SoCal
American: Denny's, Shoney's (in the South), Waffle House (in the South), all of the American fast food chains, sorry but I hate In 'n' Out Burger for which people in CA line up
Chinese: PF Chang's-go from having lunch there to the office and then home sick
Good stand-alones:
Italian: Riccardo's (Lake Oswego/Portland, Oregon), Bocelli's (Gresham/Portland, Oregon), Trattoria Volare (San Francisco), Pirate's Pizza (Reno), Le Tre Marie (Montreal), Garcia's (?) Pizza (Champaign IL)
Greek: Niko Nikos (Houston), Athenian Gardens (Toronto)
Mexican: Paco's Taco's, Grass Valley/Nevada City, CA, a bohemian Sierra town full of retreads/burnouts - a $5 burrito that's off the charts,
American: The Big Yellow House (Summerland, immediately south of Santa Barbara CA), Phil's BBQ - San Diego, CA, Mission Cafe - San Diego, CA (the weird segment of San Diego society, but there's a line on weekend mornings), Redrum Burger off Interstate 80 in Davis, CA, MaryMac's Cafeteria in Atlanta, Gladstone's on PCH in Pacific Palisades CA (definitely)
Bad stand-alones:
Italian: Battista's, Las Vegas, NV forgot the name, but it's a long-time Italian restaurant in San Diego's Little Italy amidst all the new trendy Italian eateries, Mama's Red Tomato in South Lake Tahoe CA, Italian Cottage in Chico CA
Greek: Greek Village Inn, Sacramento CA
American: The Proud Bird, adjacent to LAX runway toward El Segundo (deplorable, but you can see airplane take-offs and landings) which may have changed name, Moonshadows in Malibu CA
Notable buffets:
Casino style: El Dorado Hotel in Reno NV on Tuesday nights is Italian theme night: mushroom ravioli, seafood tortellini, polenta, chicken cacciatore, braised steak with Italian type seasonings ... and all the other stuff that doesn't rotate such as roast beef, turkey, ham, seafood, and on and on...and only $ 14.99 - Reno Hilton, now called Grand Sierra Resort, breakfast buffet that is unbelievable for about $ 8.99
American: Marriott Marquis downtown Atlanta brunch, Fontainebleau Miami Beach Friday night seafood buffet
Mexican: Paco's Taco's - a different restaurant on the West Side of L.A. by different owners from the one listed above where we'd go for the lunch buffet during college and would have to be carted out in a wheelbarrow
Overseas restaurants:
Italian: Chiaroscuro, outside of Florence IT and only locals go there, they come up with different pasta dishes all the time and they are off the charts, La Tartaruga, in Messina, Sicily, IT, where the food doesn't change and portions are huge/inexpensive and the couple who owns it fight with each other (she's up front and he cooks)
Brazilian churrascaria: hey, ZL-1, what's the name of that chain churrascaria near Praca de Chile in Lisboa? It was great!
Food I can't comment about:
Thai, Indian, Vietnamese - I don't eat it