As young man traveling abroad, with my folks and as a student, I took to heart the adage that to find the best food, find out where the locals eat. The Tyler community has a really incredible food culture and some great local eateries and institutions.

From Stanley’s to the Purple Pig, Don Juan’s, Jake’s, Rick’s, Bruno’s, Villa Montez, the list goes on and on and covers a variety of dining experiences both fine and casual. With this fact in mind, I am continually surprised by the success, and in some cases, the renown of some pretty blasé restaurants in town.

One such is Traditions on South Broadway. Now I’ve eaten at traditions on several occasions, and it’s not that the food is bad, but (in my opinion) the restaurant is nothing to write home about. In spite of this, their catering business is very successful, and services some exceptionally high class venues.

I am willing to concede that the special attention a catered event requires has probably helped to set the establishment apart from their area competition. In terms of the restaurant proper however, I remain underwhelmed. The cafeteria style pay at the end of the line makes me think of an upscale Luby’s or Ryan’s.

Traditions is a good place to bring quests who are generally more interested in getting the tip exactly right and less interested in sampling unique local cuisine. For those of us for whom meat and potatoes defines the perfect meal, Traditions is ideal. We took my visiting grandparents a couple of years ago, and they had a great time.

It never occurred to them that there were great places to eat that would more enrich their visit to Tyler. I guess that’s what I find lacking in Traditions. While the food is fine, visiting is not the event that a stop at my local favs like Stanley’s or Don Juan’s is for me. I’m not a foodie and I’m not continually trying to make a statement with every dining choice.

To paraphrase Sigmound, sometimes a burger is just a burger. But I also enjoy discovering new foods and new places to eat. If you’re like me in this respect you’ll not be hugely enamored of this eatery. Personally I’d give Traditions a three, out of five stars.

But don’t take my word for it, take an evening and judge for yourself. For more information, check out their website at http://www.traditionstyler.com/restaurant.shtml. For reservations, or speak to someone about having your event catered, call (903)534-1111.