here was a good deal of Holiday Cheer at Briarwood Mall, considering that nobody wanted to be there. After braving the parking derby, the grrlz ran a gauntlet of high school seniors and senior citizens. Store clerks were few and rude. We soon grew fatigued — and hungry.

Norman Rockwell never had it so good 

y brother-in-law Todd is a buffet superman, able to eat tall platters in a single bite — and still retain his collegiate abs. Todd loves Old Country Buffet. He’s the kind of patron that Old Country Buffet must hate.

Bwang! 

or all its cafés, bistros, and steakhouses, family diners have few clear choices on the "PG-13" Main Street restaurant scene. Unless you're deliberately aiming high (Real Seafood) or low (Subway), you're faced with a flurry of kiddie turn-offs: ethnicity, urbanity, alcohol.

feel funny sometimes about fast food as destination dining. It's one thing to grab a bite while you're out playing chauffeur and running errands. But if I'm taking the family out to eat, I don't want to end up like a commercial.