Favorite local restaurant? What's yours? Where is it located?

[Rachel Butler]

I love eating....no really. LOVE IT. One of my favorite places is 360 Uno Trattoria in Austin in Davenport village. They support local farmers, have their own wine selection and honestly are about the nicest people around. And a bonus for a geek like me - free wifi.

[Wendy Butler]

After your visit, I am so loving Charlie Parker's Cafe here in Springfield. I could eat breakfast anytime of day or night :)!

[Camilo Garcia]

Kerbey Lane on South Lamar. Local foods and good cooks, 'round the clock. Sometimes I think they coined "righteous" while thinking of these guys. Only home cooking and grazing in the garden will feed you better.
When not at home: D. Rowe's, Columbia, MO, and Ripe Eatery & Market, El Paso (I always feel like I'm back in Austin, plus they love to cook).

[Christina Haas]

I love Casa de Luz. ..never eat there as much as I'd like, but am always thrilled by the great people and amazing, tasty, uber-healthy food when I do.

[Bill Norton]

LOVE ME SOME KERBY - I'm going to have to agree with Camilo, except to say i prefer the original Kerby Lane but remembering back to when I first moved to Austin dropped in after a show at the Saxon and the place was PACKED, it was 3am, and they were playing some crazy heavy music...I was home!

I'll have to make at trip to 360 Uno Trattoria sometime next week. I've heard they have great food ; )

...and fellow Foogs participants too!! Good stuff.

[Laird Bishop]

Casa De Luz is a place I can eat and never have to give a second thought to the quality of the food or preparation methods.

My other favorites are The Monument Cafe in Georgetown, Mother's Cafe in Hyde Park, and Mr. Natural on South Lamar. The Whole Foods hot bar is always worth the stop too.

With all but Casa De Luz, though, I still have to be selective And ask questions. Even many places that are considered healthy eating stops overlook some very important concerns. One that I really watch out for is what kind of oil they cook with. Many use refined oils, which are almost always rancid even if they are from a good source like canola or olives. Most commercial producers use heat in the refining process to extract more oil, and the temperatures involved cause the oil to oxidize. This causes it to change chemically in ways which are not good.

I think I drive servers crazy when I eat out. I usually send them to the kitchen to find out what kind of oil they are using. This is one reason I have to leave Casa De Luz at the top of my list; they are the most aware of the importance of healthy ingrediants and preparation methods of anyplace I have found.