When in NOLA, I always make it a point to go to Evelyn's Place. It's on Chartres, right off of Canal (at the edge of the French Quarter where it blends with the CBD), and is a beautiful little hole in the wall. Besides having delicious food, the quiet, earthy ambiance is incredibly relaxing.

Just the stereotype that "left" = "hippies" = PETA (perpetuated by people who forgot what they learned about the French General Assembly leading up to the French Revolution, which seems to be most people these days).

The toaster oven is indeed a wonderful thing.

Mayonnaise is something I never had until recently, thanks to my mother's aversion to the stuff. Cheap yellow mustard is also something I didn't have as a kid (we always had dijon mustard in the house).

I've still never had a TV dinner. My parents are both pretty good cooks, and if neither of them were up to doing anything or going out, frozen pizza or Hot Pockets would suffice (both of which my sister and I could prepare ourselves from a very early age). We always used the toaster oven or regular oven, too, never the microwave.

Farmers Gastropub is a "hell yes". The owners are really cool people and pretty much everything is good there (my favorite is the fish and chips accompanied by Ace Pear Cider, though they were out of the cider last time I went, so I had a Pinot grigio). They have daily specials where they rotate around serving food from other countries, as well as the standard English fare (so if you want schnitzel and spaetzel, plan to come on a Wednesday; they rotate selections, though, so different Wednesdays offer different German food). Bill is serious about serving good food. He always seems very serious in general, but that's probably just the fact that he's English.

And no, the alternative isn't Golden Corral. I haven't eaten there in many years (the two locations in town are positioned near highways to catch unsavvy travelers who don't bother looking any further than that, and families trying to combine dinner and shopping trips).

Edit: And yes, I am acquainted with Bill, his wife and some of the staff. No, I don't consider myself an insider. Yes, I registered an account just to post a review of the place, because it deserves somebody who has eaten there chiming in. My stake in the place's continued success is no more than any other restaurant I enjoy and want to keep eating at.