[Just for fun: Where did you eat?]

The Garden Court Cafe, Glen Ellen, biscuits and gravy

Gary Chu's, Santa Rosa, Lemon chicken lunch special

Sonoma Savers, Sonoma, Onion Soup

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Soup spot called Five Loaves Cafe love the redpepper/tomato soup with polenta croutons

Bar/seafood called Off the Hook - good blackened scallop wrap, stupid calamari

Bowen's Island - Spectacular, graffiti covered dump that serves half-pans full of steamed oysters

[What's so good about the Southeast?]

I have to agree that if I'm visiting an area I want to indulge in the regional cuisine. And the Southeast is overflowing with good food. But living in AL (Tuscaloosa area while in grad school at UA) I did find that there are good restaurants to be enjoyed. One of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to (and I live in central TX)  was Pepe's in Tuscaloosa. Family owned and run. Family recipes not downed for local Southern tastes. The same scenario for a fine Thai restaurant. So many different groups of people have come into the South and bring their culture with them. So sometimes when one is living somewhere you like to eat outside your region, in the South as in any other part of the country.

On the other hand nothing beats sitting down at the local catfish place and having a bowl of coleslaw and plate of cornbread set in front of you while you wait to order. Sweet Tea, of course if you want it.

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I am new to this forum, but have been writing a weekly restaurant column here in Charleston for the past five years, and think that there is one point that most in this thread have missed. The southeast, particularly the South Carolina Lowcountry (pardon my bias) is simply a fantastic place to live (I would keep it a secret if I could, but it is far too late). As a result, people of all stripes choose to come here, whether it's the weather, the people, the growth or for us, the water.

And luckily for all of us, some of them open restaurants. This means we now have good Thai, decent Indian, and a host of truly wonderful small independents that raise the bar for everyone here. The rest of us help those great people succeed. I have also seen (perhaps this is unique to the tourist towns) it become difficult to find good restaurants serving some of the Lowcountry's most classic foods like simple fried seafood because it's so easy to hand a mediocre example to a tourist for an outrageous price and be successful.

All in all, though - the progress is quite amazing, and I love watching it all happen from a seat in the dining room, or a spot behind my own stove.