Discover Indies!

I get a lot of strange looks when I tell people that I don’t eat at chain restaurants.  A few naive souls have even asked this question:  “Well, where do you eat then?  Fast food?”

To be honest,  I will hit up a fast food place in an extreme (6 year old whining incessantly) emergency but I avoid them.  I have even bid farewell to my old friend Subway in favor of a tiny, local sandwich and coffee shop, Lake City Perk.  They have a super small menu but their sandwiches are tasty and I’m supporting my local economy 100% instead of 100% less franchise fees, etc.  It just makes me feel good.

So where else do I eat?  Well, I look for the tiny places with full parking lots.  The local CVB membership is usually a solid place to start research too.  Places that are willing to join the CVB are committed to their own success and to the local business community.  This is win + win.  In some cases, the dues are a little steep so being able to afford them implies a level of success which means the food is probably good too.  This is just a hypothesis, mind you, but so far it’s working out pretty well.

I am also adventurous.  I don’t judge the book solely by its cover.  I forget the name of it but one of the best places I went in El Paso was a little hole in the wall across from the El Paso Chile Company (another indie!  Their black bean dip is the best!).

The point of this is that finding great indie food requires a little leg work and careful selection but you’ll never be disappointed if you take the time and take a chance on indies.