Cancun is actually pretty good for a chain. The food is consistently well-prepared and attractively served. I particularly like their grilled chicken entrees. Also, they accommodate special orders without blinking: I often choose to eat low carbohydrate, high protein meals, and they didn't question my instruction to substitute certain items for others (more guacamole instead of rice, for example).

Whenever I visit northern Virginia, I make it a point to eat at Amphora in Vienna, Virginia. First of all, you can't miss it -- the restaurant is located on the main drag (Maple Avenue) which goes right through the center of town. As you head toward Washington, DC (east), Amphora is on your left. This award-winning place isn't just a "fake Greek" restaurant -- in fact, even the youngest waitresses and waiters speak Greek. (Of course, some of their wait staff have made careers of their jobs and are well into their 40s, 50s, and 60s, however, but all can be heard speaking Greek to each other.) The food is delicious. I especially like the Mediteranean Shrimp dishes, as well as the Greek Sirloin. Their desserts are to kill for... especially the Chocolate Torte. The atmosphere doesn't quite match the food, although it's fine: it's just more "coffee shop" in tone than "nice restaurant." Nevertheless, that makes it the perfect place for me to grab a Washington Post and relax after a long day of business meetings. My advice: Don't miss Amphora!

First of all, don't visit Altruda's if you're in a hurry. Second, don't go if you're on a diet. Those conditions satisfied, if you do go -- get the fried artichokes and dip. This is your basic Italian (read "traditional") restaurant. You're not going to order something here and then exclaim, "WOW! This is really UNUSUAL!" In fact, almost everything here is usual -- spaghetti, lasagne, meatballs, etc. Nevertheless, the fried artichokes are one of the few departures from traditional fare here, and overall the restaurant is good enough to merit a return visit once in a while.

My parents live in Germantown, so when I visit I always like to order some barbeque at Germantown Commissary. This is an unusual place that dates back decades. If you're a barbeque fan, be sure and order some ribs. (Addicting.) And go ahead and get one of their famous barbeque sandwiches -- replete with coleslaw nestled between the delicious meat and the top bun. Incidentally, if you're from fill-in-the-blank, you probably aren't used to coleslaw on a barbeque sandwhich or anywhere else. (After all, coleslaw IS a side dish, right? Wrong. Here, it's a condiment.) Never fear. Shore up your courage. Order the sandwich just as they prepare it, and you'll likely mistake Germantown Commissary for someplace just east of heaven. Ok, forgive my poetic rambling. Suffice to say, their barbeque ranks among the best I've had anywhere.

The first thing you notice about the Baker-Peters Jazz Club is that there's a Philips 66 gas station in the front yard. Actually, there's good reason for that. That particular petroleum company purchased the property years ago and then prepared to knock down the beautiful antique house that graced the property -- the old "Baker-Peters" house. Needless to say, a few historically minded Knoxvillians didn't care much for that plan and raised so much cain that Philips relented. (Actually, there's more to the story, including a few interesting courtroom exchanges, but I'll leave that for Metropulse's Jack Neely to cover sometime.) Philips wasn't even prevented from knocking down a particularly old tree on the property, thank goodness. (Serves 'em right.) Anyway, the old home is a wonderful place to visit. The food is excellent. The service is great. The live jazz is wonderful. (Call in advance to find out the music schedule.) This is the kind of place to spend an evening with a special date.

I like Bayou Bay, but I don't care for the fake "Cajun" accents that are sometimes effected by the staff. You have to wonder if those people are actually instructed to adopt their best Louisiana twang just for show. Ok, so my sarcasm is running away with me today. Let me balance my nastiness by getting to the bottom line: The food is really, really good. I heartily recommend the grilled amberjack. But start your meal off with a pound of boiled shrimp. End things with homemade key lime pie. (Oops, one more thing: If you're not a Vol fan, don't come here on a football Saturday, because the screaming will drive you nuts.)

This is the kind of place that sometimes leaves me saying, "Why did I waste my time?" It's not the food is bad. (It's actually ok.) It's just that the overall experience is pretty boring. This is a perfect example of a restaurant that's attempting to live up to a theme just a tad TOO hard. "Bel Air" refers to the 1957 Chevy sedan of the same name. They've actually chopped one in half and attached it to the entry wall. Antique signs abound (which I actually enjoy more than the food.) You're experience here will really depend upon what you anticipate. If you are expecting a nice night out, go somewhere else. If, on the other hand, you need a quick place to take the screaming kids where it doesn't matter if they throw the whole meal on the floor and where your grilled chicken sandwhich is pretty good, then THIS is your place.

Although basically comparable to family-oriented fare like Shoney's and Denny's, Bob Evans is actually a cut above. The food is consistently delicious and attractively-served. I particularly like their breakfasts. Unlike Shoney's, where ordering bacon is a crap shoot (roll the dice -- what will it be today -- BURNED, or SOGGY, or LIMP, or STUCK TOGETHER), here it's always just right. Corned beef hash and eggs is another tasty breakfast choice.

There are actually TWO Charlie Peppers locations in Knoxville -- the one on campus (20th St.), and another by West Town Mall near Border's bookstore. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the menus are interchangeable -- they're not. Despite the fact that the restaurants are owned by the same people and share the same name/logo, the experiences are quite different. On campus, the food is good. By West Town Mall, the food is great. Dunno why, but see for yourself. Regardless, either is a good choice for great southwestern food. (Here's an appetizer recommendation -- the spinach-cheese dip is especially good.) By the way, the service near the mall is also much better. As a low-carb eater, I always substitute an extra vegetable for any potato side dish, a request that is accommodated without even an eye-blink out west. When I popped that on the waiter at the 20th St. location, he was taken aback. "Um, sir, I don't know if we can do that. One second. [returns in 2 minutes] Um, sir, the manager said that would be an extra ninety-nine cents." My reply: "That's ok, you tell your manager that I'll help him defray food costs by letting him simply keep the potatos without having to substitute anything. My gift to him." Ok, ok, maybe I was in a foul mood. I'll end with an entree recommendation -- try the Vegetable Burrito, a really interesting combination of grilled southwestern veggie flavors, beans, rice, guac, and who knows what else. It's good!

I almost never assign the top grade to anything, but I'll go ahead and give this one five stars. Ok, keep in mind that these are five KNOXVILLE stars. Don't think for a minute that I'm suggesting that Chesapeake's compares favorably with the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan, for God's sakes. That said, Chesapeake's certainly ranks among Knoxville's best, and this is a city with a lot of excellent eating choices. Owned by the same people who operate Copper Cellar and Cappuccino's, two other terrific restaurants, Chesapeake's is certainly worth visiting. To start, your waiter will bring a basket of homemade breads -- interesting and flavorful muffins, cornbread, flaky rolls. The appetizers and entrees are consistently excellent, but there is a side dish that keeps me coming back. Just remember this phrase: "Spinach Maria." Their Oysters Rockefeller is particularly good as well. Finally, the Key Lime Pie is probably the best I've had anywhere.

The food here is delicious. Housed in the same building as another restaurant, the Copper Cellar, they'll actually let you order off of BOTH menus. (An insider tip for my fellow Dine.com readers: be sure and ask for both menus when you are seated.) The atmosphere is pretty formal. You'll definitely feel more at home here wearing a jacket and tie than a t-shirt and torn jeans. Also, this isn't the place to bring rowdy kids (although they won't be turned away). Order a brie appetizer. Order a crab and artichoke dip appetizer. (Ok, I'm an appetizer freak.) Great steaks. Great everything.

One of Knoxville's oldest Chinese restaurants, it's right up Bearden Hill west of Northshore Drive. We visit once every couple of months. The food is always good, and the service is particularly excellent. My wife is a vegetarian and orders a "veggie chicken" dish whose name I can't remember. It's so good that I always end up eating more than a few polite bites of hers.

Falafel Hut is one of those unusual places that you'll remember for life. A casual Meditteranean restaurant (with a decidedly Arabic influence), everything here is homemade and delicious. Try the hummous. Try the babaganoush. For that matter, try anything -- it's ALL good! The flaky dessert items are especially good too. One pistachio-laden item -- the "Bird's Nest" -- is my favorite, although their classic Baklava is great also.

Owned by the Regas family (who, in addition to their signature Regas Restaurant, originated the Grady's chain), Harry's is a great place for fine dining. The atmosphere is straight out of the 1940s -- executed very well. The service is terrific. And the food is great. (Quite a few unusual items to choose from as well.)

I spent a year working at the VA Hospital in Johnson City, and whenever some staff occasion merited going out for lunch, the Firehouse Restaurant always topped the list. The atmosphere is nice, the food is very good, and the service is consistently great. I always ordered the grilled chicken sandwich, so I can lend my seal of approval to that item. (Ok, so I'm in a chicken sandwich rut. Rescue me.) Don't expect "fine dining" here, but if you're looking for a good place to take the family at reasonable prices, try this one.

Allow me to expand a bit upon another reviewer's comments. When he wrote that the sandwiches were "really big, " I'm sure he meant to say that the sandwiches were REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BIG. In other words, go ahead and order a classic corned beef sandwich. Next, prepare to meet the God of Corned Beef, because you are going to see more corned beef on one plate than you ever suspected would fit there. That said, it's delicious. And, incidentally, they actually corn their own beef! (If this is the first time you've ever seen the word "corn" used as a verb, don't panic. Corning beef requires a few spices, some vinegar, and a certain kind of expertise that is apparently abundant at the Carnegie Deli.) In fact, everything is terrific here. Perhaps the most famous delicatessen in the world, you really need to pay the place a visit. Oh, order some cheesecake when you're done. Too full? Get it to go. It's to die for.

Remember the old lunch counters that graced practically every drugstore (and every Woolworth's, for that matter)? Well, Long's Drugstore maintains what's probably the last one in this town. This is a SUPER place to visit during lunch for great burgers. Breakfast is pretty relaxing here as well: Long's is a great place to order, read the paper, eat, and read the paper some more. Frequented by business men and women (and everyone else), it's a veritable institution.

Lucille's was better years ago when it began life as Annie's. Alas, Annie left town (yes, she was a real person), leaving us with Lucille (who is, so far as anyone knows, the stuff of fiction). Regardless, Lucille's is consistently fun, interesting, delicious, and entertaining (call ahead to find out the live music schedule). If you're going to visit on a balmy summer night, consider sitting out back in their wonderful tree-lined "alley." Here's an appetizer recommendation: order the artichoke-crab dip.

I'm giving Mango 3 stars just to be fair. My friend Jackie and her husband profess to love it. I'm sure they'd assign 4 or more stars. I, on the other hand, am leaning to 2 stars. But since I'm the first one to review the place, I just felt compelled to offer a balanced account. Now, though, my unbalanced account: It's WAY overpriced, pretentious, and ultimately uninteresting. My wife and I visited a few months ago, and the thing I remember most is that they had some strange mashed potato side dish they were pushing that night that blended ginger and sugar and lemon in the mix. I tried it, and guess what? No epiphany. Tasted like mashed potatos with ginger and sugar and lemon. The entrees were memorable only because the presentation was unique. (Sally's food was stacked high, paying homage to the male God of unusual food perhaps. Mine was arrayed flat with too many garnishes, and if you looked at my plate just right it looked like a smiley face.) My desert (at $10) was several different varieties of chocolate made to look like a chocolate cigarette with chocolate ashes and -- I kid you not -- a chocolate matchbook cover. Clearly they go for fanfare here. As Billy Crystal said, "It's better to look good than to feel good!"

Petro's got its start at the 1982 World's Fair. (As I write this, I'm singing the theme song: "If you wanna be where hist-o-ry is being made in Tenn-es-see, you've got to be there -- the 1982 World's Fair! You've got to be there!") Anyway, if you weren't there, you can visit Petro's and get a taste of the event in any case. Planned during the various "oil crises" of the late 1970s / early 1980s, the theme of the 1982 World's Fair was "Energy Turns the World." Somehow, the popular "Petro" food item (short for "petroleum") was supposed to further illuminate the theme, although it's a stretch to figure out how. A Petro is a back of Frito's corn chips turned on it's side, cut open along the edge, with chili, onions, tomatos, sour cream, and cheddar cheese poured on top. It's actually very good, but -- alas -- in the year's since the fair they've decided to serve the concoction in a bowl rather than in a real Frito's bag. Maybe it's the digestive results of the chili beans that tie the "Petro" in with the gas theme of the fair, but that's just a guess. (Hey, I'm being serious! Not.) Anyway, if you've never tried a Petro, give it a shot. They've even got a lowfat version now if you're so inclined.