Having lived in California, Florida, and Puerto Rico for about 10 years, I had the opportunity to try quite a few different restaurant or fast food options. Now that I'm back in Cape Breton, I do occasionally find myself bored of some of our options, mostly of the fast food variety along Sydney's Prince St. to Welton St. off road course aka bumpy fast food street. My wallet and my scale appreciate my lack of enthusiasm, though I find ways to overcome their objections far too often. It's a heavy burden.

To quell the uprising before it begins to get out of hand, I should start by saying there are certainly some local spots that do the trick. I prefer Simeon's over Boston Pizza, for example (no, for real).

We're actually very fortunate to somehow have so many local foodie entrepreneurs operating here. Think Flavor, Naru Sushi, Embers, Napoli for pizza fanatics, and Doktor Luke's if we can squeeze in a cafe (though I prefer Louann's). And, yes, my bias is the Sydney area where I live and work... and usually replace the "play" part with more "work" because I'm a classically trained nerd.

I strongly encourage you to comment with your favorite foodie hangouts, i.e. those you are appalled that I didn't mention. And, I'm also fairly certain that you will! After all, food and emotion make great bunk mates - especially when that food is pizza and beer, sushi and saki, or nachos and tequila.

Without further ado, I'll now make myself extremely hungry by cataloguing some of the various places I miss. If it seems all over the place, that's a fair assessment. The places I'm going to list range from those that are only suitable for after the bars close out, to the ones where you grab it and get home asap, to those where you'll need to find an excuse to go on a date just so you can get there again.

There is a "buy local" discussion that is relevant as well. Just keep in mind that we already have many franchises operating here. The (hopefully) local franchise owners and their staff still manage to bring new options to the region while injecting money into the economy via salary. I could have left this paragraph out, but I think it'll make the potential discussion much more fun - also known as causing a food fight.

1. iHop

Pancakes. Fast service. 24 hours. That is all.

2. Cheesecake Factory

If you don't have a date, find one, stat. It's not about the cheesecake. It's about the chicken and biscuits.

3. Cracker Barrel

A little redneck. But where else do you go for a blackened catfish sandwich and some cornbread?

4. Boston Market

A bunch of hot and ready homestyle foods ready to pack in a takeout and go. Lots of carbs, but some healthy options too. And you don't have to go into Sobey's to get it.

5. RaceTrac Coffee Bar
Yes, it's a gas station. But I'm sneaking it into the list. It's my favorite place to get coffee in Florida.

6. The Taco Maker

Taco Bell, meh. The Taco Maker in Puerto Rico is much better.

7. Carl's Jr

It has nothing to do with their commercials, and everything to do with their Western Bacon Cheeseburger most commonly eaten at around 2:15 am.

8. Publix Grocery Store

Yes, it's a grocery store. It's also by far the best customer service model I've ever experienced. They take your groceries to your car for you. But it makes the list because of their fried chicken. Some of you snowbirds know what I'm talking about.

9. Ponderosa Steakhouse

Didn't we have one of these before? For me, it's not about the steak. I go for the great soup and salad bar. No, I'm not kidding. I eat salad (blanketed in cheese and dressing). Pro Tip: Add the chickpeas and sunflower seeds.

10. Asian Buffet

Who doesn't like to be overwhelmed by choice, and then rolled out to their car once in awhile?

11. ABC Pizza

They were doing great in the Yellowpage wars. This Greek pizza place just so happened to have an affordable pizza buffet. Besides the buffet, they had some really great specialty pizzas. And, of course, Cape Breton doesn't have enough pizza options already. ;)

12. Martin's BBQ

I'm not sure if this is the right place. But this is the right food. If you haven't been to Puerto Rico, there may be some unfamiliar food choices here. How about yuca, or tostones? Well, at least you know rice and beans. Combine with some chicken breast and/or roast pork and you have a meal. That's for sure.

13. TGI Friday's

This is probably more about nostalgia than anything. It was our hangout when we first moved to California. That is, myself and some fellow Dalhousie graduates heading to Silicon Valley. I guess it's just better at being Boston Pizza than Boston Pizza is. I don't know what that means either.

Remember, I'd love for you to tell me what I'm missing out on. Please do. For now, here's a quick rundown on the local places I enjoy (and why) to give you a sense of the idiosyncrasies of my dining and takeout choices.

• Simeon's - a quiet meal where you're not jammed up table to table.
• Smitty's - just for breakfast.
• Joany's - pizza combos for delivery.
• Louann's - meeting place. But hold the ciabatta bread (not a fan).
• Wendy's - spicy chicken sandwich and a chili.
• Tasty Treat - another good chicken sandwich.
• Main-a-dieu wharf - any lobster that comes from there is welcome in my pot anyday.
• My front deck - grill it, grill it all.

That's all for now. Flame (broil) away.

NOTE: The views expressed above are my own and do not represent lokol (goCapeBreton.com). Read more