Sorry to hear about your locational difficulties... let me add my own. I live near Salt Lake City.
This place has a lot of restaurant choices, most of them, uninspiring. there are some pretty good places, but the few that do exist are expen$ive, and as some would say snooty.
The great middle ground is occupied by restauranteurs who cater to large families who do not enjoy a wine or beer with a meal, and who, in general lack exposure to the outside world of fine dining. All that coupled with a general lack of critical thinking skills and no orientation toward demanding or even expecting fine dining, leads to mediocre, sink-to-the-lowest-common-denominator restaurants.
Obviously I think the predominant local religion is greatly to blame in this regard.
OTOH I can go to Park city. Very small town with many good restaurants- all expensive. Way expensive catering to the ski/vacation crowd.
One small example
pun intended) In Utah we can get a drink with dinner. Yes, it is a ONE ounce pour, but served at the same price you would pay in a "normal" place. You can get a "sidecar" which is another shot glass on the side, with one more ounce, but again- at the price of a full drink. So, to get a "real" drink, you can pay twice as much- still only get a 2 ounce drink.
Wine is available, but limited to the very few labels the State thinks you ought to have access to. The market does not decide- the state will do that for you.
I think the restaurant guys are in collusion with the religion guys...
This is why we cook so much at home, and drink there as well. We drive to other states to purchase wine and bootleg it home.
(Sorry for the rant... I just got started and could not stop)