I know anyone, tourist or not, will be happier at Mr. Bill's than Phillips. And the staff will be happy to greet new friends. And they need the money more than Phillips, and they provide better value beyond better taste, because they don't use fake crabmeat from Indonesia they misleadingly market as MARYLAND style BLUE swimmer CRABMEAT - really--that's what the Phillips cans say, with little type to try to hide the lie. We just have to tell tourists they'll have to wait Thursday-Saturday evenings.

I don't think it's really the tourists - I think it's the places that attract them in droves that are a turn off. Generally, they have an over inflated opinion of themselves (and over inflated prices to boot) that leave locals wondering "what's up with that place?" Yes, Phillips, I might be speaking of you! That's my humble opinion - for what it's worth!

Nothing's wrong with Touristas. They play a MAJOR role in our economy!!! In fact, I read an article that said Baltimore ranked is 9th in the country as a destination for tourists aged 18-25.

When we travel inevitably we ask locals where they eat. We tell them that we are not looking for the chains but the locations they patronize. More than not we are met with blank stares and recommendations for the same chains we could patronize at home. That is why I so love the idea of food blogs where you can ask questions and possibly get answers that really do reflect the hidden treasures we hope for.

I am reminded of the trip our son took to France when he was in high school. The other students who went on this school-sponsored trip wanted to eat at McDonald's and go to an American movie, not one dubbed into French. It's like the tourists we saw on a recent wuropean vacation who crowded into Starbuck's in Vienna! Of all places!

On the other hand, when the son spent a year in Paris, the first place we took him to eat when we visited was Pizza Hut. He missed American-style salads and Pizza Hut was the only place he had found in Paris with a salad bar. He couldn't afford it on his budget.

As one who travels every week, I'll ask the folks where I'll be working for local recommendations. Usually they tell me that some new chain has moved into their area and I'll politely just ask for things that I can't get back home in Baltimore.

I also use roadfood.com as a resource for recomendations.

Let's not dump on the tourists for flocking to the chains. Look at the malls and similar places that cater to us locals -- full of chains. Pogo-like, the enemy is us.
Unless you get good local advice, the familiar is usually safer when traveling. I still miss Howard Johnson's and its fried clam sandwiches when tooling down the interstate.
That said, those of us who live here and care about food (the two don't necessarily go together) can be thankful the crowds go elsewhere. And, let's face it, even Pike Place Market caters to tourists. When I researched Seattle hotels last year, most of the downtown hotels advertised their walking distance from it.

I think the locals shop at Pike Place Market as well--at least my son did when he lived near by, on the rare occasions he wasn't eating out, that is!

It is difficult to use the broad brush of a touristy restaurant. When someone says a touristy restaurant, I think the idea that pops to mind is something like the Hard Rock Cafe or Phillips. The type of over priced and over hyped restaurants that people would support in their hometowns, but have no problem paying for when on vacation.

Then there are restaurants that cater to tourists and may or may not be over priced; however, they don't carry a the stigma of being of being touristy. Places like the Inn at Little Washington or Brennan's are not being primarily supported by the residents of Washington, Virginia or New Orleans. So, on one hand they are tourist restaurants, but on the other hand they are not.

I would second the recomendation for Roadfood.com. It is a great site for seperating the good tourist places from the bad ones, as well as bringing light to the kind of places that don't have the recognition they deserve.

If you look up MD on Roadfood, the paltry offerings include Obrycki's and Crab Claw (which has special parking for buses). I don't think that bodes well for extrapolatory wisdom afar.

I dont know what you are getting at - PPM and the Riverwalk are soooo touristy! Texas is one of the worst examples in the world to talk about regarding chain restaurants, ask me about the weekend I spent at A&M. And the fish tossing at PPM is so just a show!

On the rare occasion that I travel to a new (for me) destination, I take the time to visit the concierge desk to get some dining suggestions. If the hotel at which I'm staying doesn't have a concierge, I will ask the front desk personnel. If I get the usual chain gang list, I frown and explain, as does Hot Dog Barker, that I want to eat at a decent restaurant that is unique to the city and serves good food. Unfortunately, if the desk attendant is young, you might have to go exploring on your own - not necessarily a bad proposition.

When I lived in Rome for a semester, my sister came to visit me and where did I take her for dinner the first night? Hard Rock Cafe. My friends and I were craving "American" food. But I did take her to local places the rest of the trip, so I made up for it.

There is actually a McDonald's directly across the street from the Pantheon, which always struck me as funny.

I also miss the Howard Johnson's Indian pudding. It came in a can, and was really good. I used to buy cans and stock up!

@ Robert of Cross Keys: I think the distinction you're trying to make is between a "tourist" restaurant, like Phillips or Hard Rock, and a "destination" restaurant, like Inn at Little Washington.

My choice for recommendations when traveling is of course Chowhound.

Oh, I admit there is a difference between a tourist place and destination place, but I was making the point that a restaurant shouldn't be judged on whether or not the locals eat there.

I live close to the Inner Harbor, and my boyfriend and I have recently embraced the chaos that is the Inner Harbor by putting aside our distate for crowds and cameras and instead, grabbing an outside table at Big Kahuna or La Tosca to remind ourselves just what tourists see when they visit Charm City. We often take for granted that we have something as cool, albeit tourist-y, as the Inner Harbor that people travel long distances to visit. Plus, we know it's always open, even on Monday nights when we struggle to find anything open besides the Wine Market. (Thank God for it).