Good place to go for large parties, but...the food is in fact overrated, with some exceptions. I can understand how people get excited about Buca for the facilities and the serving style, but those that rave about the food don't get out to enough Italian restaurants. Service is great, and the wine list is very, very friendly and smart. The nightly specials always seem to be of good quality. Buca is not bad, by any means, but it's not as exceptional as it's reputation holds.

St. Paul's best Thai...really good spices, tons of variety, but always authentic flavors, none of this fusion this and that. Very resonable as well, and very responsive to customer requests. Great service, totally worth a trip.

Amazing greek style chili dogs, quick, substantial, good. Living in a town now where I can't get a decent chili dog, this place really has found a place in my heart. The best chili dogs in Michigan, seriously. Several locations....

For a town with a dearth of sports bars, Racquets does quite well. Very friendly staff, solid menu (although not adventurous, very bar comfort-foody). A good place to go in DT Muskegon.

I used to work here, once upon a time, and it has since changed management, but I went back last time I was home to check it out. Excellent view of the lake, Romantic setting, in that it sits on a marina...great sunsets. Nice menu, very Midwestern middle of the road without many surprises. Service was fine. I think it's lost some innovation and elegance since it changed hands, but I am quite biased...

Excellent diner fare, with a glance towards the adventurous. Perked up comfort food, great atmosphere, wonderful service. Another good place in DT Muskegon, worth trying for sure.

Great "greasy spoon" type breakfasts, wonderful staff...very nice garden out front. It's a little off the beaten path, but a great choice for breakfasts. This was my neighborhood breakfast place and I still return on occasion.

The best deli and specialty grocery in the Midwest, period. Nothing in Chicago, Minneapolis or anywhere else can touch it. Even though I live in MN, I use their internet mail order for specialty items and I cannot pass anywhere near Ann Arbor without stopping. The variety is amazing, the preparations perfect and the ingredients pristine and well chosen. If you visit Ann Arbor and don't stop, you're just plain nuts. Seriously.

Semi-formal Italian dining...great service, although a little stiff for a place that doesn't take reservations. Always crowded it seems. Very informed wine list, which is a rarity these days.

Very good destination restaurant, as Plainwell is a small town north of Kalamazoo. Very adventurous, carefully prepared food, that you would not expect in a town like this. The Cafe is also tied to a British/Indian pub that serves excellent British/Indian cuisine in an Imperial British atmosphere, complete with roving musicians. Service can be hit or miss, though. Great beer and wine, at both locations.

Odd location, out by the airport, but very elegant Italian dining, with very good service and a smart wine list. The ambiance tries a little too hard to be both authentic Bistro-like and yet cosmopolitan, but it generally works. A definite step up from the Italian chains...

Wildfire is excellent, and Minnesota's site is actually cosier and overall nicer than the flagship site in Chicago. The menu is varied, and any roasted items are fully worth ordering. Impeccible service, great wine list (though spendy) and a bit of a drive, though no more than any other in the Metro.

Simplicity rules. The burgers are the purest form of a burger I've ever had. Look in the dictionary for burger and they the address for Lion's. Extremely reasonable. Places like this make the case against corporate chains better than anything else...support your neighborhood eclecticism.

If your stodgy, unadventurous aunt is in town, want to go the MOA and simply will not eat in anything other than a "family" restaurant, this is OK....but uneventful at best. Right there with Perkins...just OK. It's also open air to the Mall which is distracting...

Why idependent coffee houses are better than chains: <br> 1) Small batch roasters as suppliers, regardless of what Starbuck's and Caribou says about "custom roasting." 2) Responsible ethical politics when choosing their suppliers - lots of sustainable ecology in these places. 3) Attention to detail. 4) Individual, eclectic design. <br> Uncommon Grounds has all this in spades, plus great location for people watching. Right up there with Dunn Brothers.

Much better than the Olive Garden for sure, but not quite in Campiello's or Figlio's league, and that's really, really OK...really big portions, though, and this is one trend that needs to stop.

The malts are just plain old-school outstanding, in all ways. Food is fine, but nothing better or worse than you could get at Perkins. Go for the malts and deserts...worth it.

Decent breakfast, kitchy atmosphere...there have been health concerns in the past, apparently, but all seems well when we've been there. AWFULLY heavy food, though, not always what you want in the morning.

Perfectly fine sports bar, good spirit selection. Very, very good wings, but overall, a fine neighborhood bar among a million neighborhood bars.

Very cool atmosphere, very authentic food, although the other reviewers are correct...it's a little heavy. The off-typical offerings are really, really good...the real traditional "peasant food" stuff, like menudo and mole, are excellent.