How to eat like a local: 4 tips for finding good food on vacation

    

  When on vacation, one of my favorite things to do is check out local eateries and find new restaurants to try. But when visiting a new city or town, what is the best way to find these nuances?

Sure you can eat at national chains, such as Applebees, Outback and Chilis. But to really experience the local flair, you have to do some research, which can make your time there a bit more exciting. Here are a few ways to discover where the locals go:

• Ask the locals! Go to a chain restaurant, order an appetizer or drink and ask the staff where they would go to try something new. Most waitresses, waiters and hostesses know a few off-the-beaten-path places they can recommend, such as diners and coffeehouses. Living in a tourist town has its perks, and the local people usually enjoy telling newcomers about the cool places in their city.

• Find a bar and chat up the bartender. Most hotels will have entertainment brochures, so pick a place and hang out for a while. Just like the chain restaurants, the bartenders are going to have the inside scoop about good eating … and they usually never steer you wrong. Bartenders are full of stories and love telling tourists about their great city. Not into the bar scene? That’s OK. Hotel staff where you are staying should be able to give you a couple of their favorites. And if your hotel has a restaurant in the lobby, ask where to find the best Mexican food or where to eat the perfect steak.

• Online search engines. Google, Bing and Yelp are good places to start if you want to quickly find a place to eat or hang out. However, you will have to weed through the national brands to unearth popular local establishments. And that can take some time. But reading reviews about places you never heard of can help in decision making about where to go.

• Go on a driving excursion and make note of restaurants that sound unfamiliar. You can discover local spots without talking to anyone. If you didn’t drive your own car, rent one for a day. Getting “lost” trying to find a local venue can be an adventure all on its own. And you just might find a treasure in the unknown.

     Try it out — you are on vacation and need a change of pace. New foods and places await to be revealed. Some cities even have famous “hidden gems” they broadcast to tourists, claiming to have “the best burgers in town” or “Southern cooking at its finest” or maybe “the freshest seafood on the coast.” Even if you are just passing through a town, you can eat at McDonald’s or Taco Bell any day. But you might not get another chance to eat “the most awesome Indian taco in the South.”