We’re your drive-thru customers. The ones who pay your bills – so listen up. Ok, let’s admit it, we occasionally find ourselves in your takeout drive-thru line, particularly on football nights. Why can’t we understand anything your menu board says? It’s not a lot of fun sitting out here talking to a backlighted piece of plastic under the best of conditions. But when it spits out a bunch of verbal gibberish, we begin to doubt ourselves. Maybe we just don’t have the right stuff to order drive-thru takeout.

Whether you are looking for French hotels, thinking of buying a holiday home or even renting a watermill for the week it is always a good idea to check out the local restaurants. And it seems that France is certainly not lacking in decent places to get some grub after it was revealed that the country has yet again won awards for the world’s best restaurants, taking 12 of the top 50 venues.

The UK on the other hand had seven restaurants in the top 50 while eight were in the US.

Fine French food

No, I’m really not kidding. I have a theory that all the hate that exists for this fine establishment originated in the days of old and people have not fairly readjusted their views. I might even throw Taco Bell’s menu on a list of most improved over the past 5 years. Everytime I look up there are new items and it seems they are all straight gold.

Unfortunately, I no longer live in the near vicinity of this glorious spot, but recently I found myself once again entering the storied walls. It was a stirring experience bringing back memories of first jobs and glorious meals alike. While old favorites like chili cheese burritos, soft tacos, and gorditas still grace the menu, my focus these days tends to be on the newer items.

Please note menu offerings and prices may vary.

Dining at this restaurant is indeed a special occasion. As a continuation of our honeymoon and to celebrate my wife’s birthday, our parents took us to The Whaling Company.

We could not have asked for a more pleasant dining experience. The service was excellent and the seafood even better. The Shrimp Scampi Linguini had lots of jumbo shrimp sauteed in butter, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, Chablis wine, and lemon juice atop a bed of fresh linguini. I chose the Whaling Company Seafood Skillet, a sumptuous combination of scallops, backfin crab meat, shrimp, whole clams, and fresh fish baked in Chablis wine butter served on a bed of spicy paella rice. Very unique and original, and quite tasty. My father opted for the Whiskey Peppercorn Steak, which we all drooled over when it arrived. This flame broiled Filet Mignon came lightly coated with cracked peppercorns and a whiskey peppercorn sauce — it was delicious.

NOTE: menu offerings may vary, this review reflects what we saw and enjoyed.

With a small but enticing menu, Marker 32 is a gem–exquisite service, lovely setting, excellent food.

Enjoy an appetizer to start this delightful culinary adventure as you gaze out over the tranquil Intracoastal Waterway. Your waiter will inform you of the daily specials, but the menu selections will also offer several interesting options: Smoked Salmon Cakes with Balsamic and Sun-dried Tomato Black Bean Sauce, Stuffed Chili Pepper with Chopped Spiced Beef, Olives and Stone Fruit over Char-grilled Tomato and Onion Coulis, or Wild Mushroom and Cracked Black Pepper Pasta with Prosciutto, Pine Nuts and Feta Cheese Herb Cream are but three of your choices.

Pricing and menu offerings may vary.

Located at the junction of US 60 and SR 16 on the Kanawha River, Gauley Bridge is a picture postcard in real life. Situated in the mountains, this small city is an open treasure chest for history buffs. You can fish or picnic at the park just down from the Glen Ferris Inn. The falls are just beautiful and the air is crisp and clean, often cool even in August. The drive over is part of the fun of visiting Gauley Bridge, following the twisty road from Fayetteville. Take advantage of the scenic view pull-offs, and bring plenty of film. On your return trip, stop in Ansted and visit Hawk’s Nest State Park. The view is breathtaking and the hotel first class. I contend that there isn’t a more peacefully beautiful spot in the South.

You don’t have to be a newspaper’s restaurant reviewer to have tried the cuisine of most restaurants within your area. With more and more culinary cravers equipped with GPS in their own car or that of a dining partner’s, getting to any great restaurant tucked away into an obscure, neighborhood location has become very easy.

When it comes to delicious food, the more the better. Whether having a ready range of restaurants and menus of a single style, or a smorgasbord of restaurants of nearly every style in your dining repetoire, finding the best meal or the best deal are two of every diner’s delights. With a GPS device, really, your guide to the within-commutable world, getting to the restaurant or eatery of the moment is so simple.

Note: menu offerings and prices may vary.

Fresh baked bread in loaves or rounds and homemade empenadas baked in a stone hearth oven, spicy sausage wrapped in a flaky crust… need I say more?

The Spanish Bakery has been in business for more nearly 30 years, according to the little chalkboard that hangs from the stone building known as the Salcedo Kitchen. I think I’ve been coming here for at least 10 of those years, and I’ve never been disappointed, except when they run out of bread around 2 pm or when it rains, because they only have 2 picnic tables under cover. Of course, you can sit at one of the picnic tables under a tree and stay relatively dry if it’s not a downpour.

First, we have to define what we mean by “best.” If that equates to the quality of food, can a food critic do that for you? Don’t we each have different likes and dislikes? Therefore, that would be problematic to seek out a website that just rates our food. Sure, it’s nice to have someone give us an opinion, but can we base our whole decision on one or two restaurant reviews? I think not.