the road | the food | a new direction
Do you enjoy country-fried steak, meatloaf, and fried chicken? With turnip greens, squash casserole, or mac and cheese? How about sweet potato pie or blackberry cobbler for dessert? If these and other classics of the soul food kitchen appeal to you, and you find yourself in Nashville, head to Swett’s. Nashville Scene has selected Swett’s as the winner of their Best Soul Food award in the 2014 Best of Nashville survey. Continue reading
Two words: bluegill and pie. That’s what you need to know if you’ll be visiting Clay’s Family Restaurant, just outside of Fremont, Indiana. Continue reading
Bill Addison, writing for Eater, does a taste comparison between two Nashville hot chicken giants: the possible inventor, Prince’s Hot Chicken and the 2012 newcomer, Hattie B’s. He says Prince’s is explosively hot but the sides aren’t so hot. Hattie B’s chicken heat is scaled back somewhat, and it’s also a lot drippier. The sides are worth eating, too. Which does he prefer? Read the story. Continue reading
Some of us like to eat. Some like to watch others eat. For those who fall into the latter category, this Saturday will offer major thrills, as Ben’s Chili Bowl‘s 4th Annual World Chili Eating Championship will take place at the Taste of DC festival. Last year’s chili champ Bob Shoudt (two gallons in six minutes!) will attempt to defend his title against the famous Joey Chestnut and others. The competition takes place at 3PM at 11th and Pennsylvania. Continue reading
The original Madison Square Park, NYC Shake Shack will be closing next week, on the 14th, for renovations. It’s not expected to reopen until the middle of next year. The day before they close (Columbus Day), however, will be special. They have teamed with Italian chef Massimo Bottura, he of the three Michelin stars, to present a limited-edition burger: The Emilia. A thousand of these burgers will be made. Continue reading
Boiled cider. Not cider syrup, or essence of apple, or apple nectar. Boiled cider. Why boiled cider? Because, with true New England logic, it starts with cider. And then it’s boiled. What remains after the volume is reduced about 85% is dark and opaque. It’s sold not in the kind of sleek and sexy bottle indicative of a rare and prized delicacy found in expensive urban food emporiums, but in a utilitarian jar that might hold generic white distilled vinegar, basic square black and white label, with red inverted triangle in the middle, glued front and center. Continue reading
Do the folks who live in Erie, PA like their sandwiches with fries and slaw? That is, ON the sandwich? They’ll find out in a couple of weeks because Pittsburgh sandwich stalwart Primanti Bros. is opening their first Erie location, in the Millcreek Mall. The new eatery will also include an outdoor dining area. Continue reading
The Pitch, KC’s alternative weekly, has just released its Best of Kansas City 2014 results, and the winner for best ribs went to Joe’s Kansas City. The Pitch calls these ribs “dependable, mouthwatering hunks of meat that never, ever fail to satisfy.” They recommend you beat the lines by calling in your order in advance. Continue reading
Playing the part of the sophisticated urban socialite among the rough-hewn cowboys of the West, Beth J. Harpaz writes, for AP, about her visit to the estimable Cattlemen’s Steakhouse of Oklahoma City, OK. Cattlemen’s has been serving top-notch slabs of beef to ranchers, cowboys, rodeo stars, and politicians for over 100 years. Beth’s hyper-health-conscious city sensibilities balk at the thought of bacon around a filet and cheese on broccoli, and she skips the cheese, bacon, sour cream, and ice cream scoops of butter for her potato. But credit where credit’s due: the lamb fries (testicles) are a big hit! Continue reading
They say Frances’ Deli ain’t what it used to be, but what is? Well, perhaps Manny’s is, but Frances’ is actually even older than Manny’s, going back to 1938 Chicago. It’s now a few blocks north of its original location, and Frances, the man, is long gone. And replacing the Eastern European staff and old Jewish customers are crowds of 20- and 30-somethings from the surrounding Lincoln Park neighborhood. Continue reading
In a poll conducted by a KC polling firm, Fiorella’s Jack Stack edged out Joe’s Kansas City for KC-area residents’ favorite barbecue joint. Gates came in third, Arthur Bryant’s fourth, and LC’s finished sixth. Interestingly, when broken out by gender, Joe’s just nips Jack Stack among men. Those polled also named beef brisket, by a hair over pork ribs, as their favorite barbecued meat and baked beans as the decisive side of choice. We like ’em all but we’ll take burnt ends at LC’s. Continue reading
It was a sad day in April when Tecolote Cafe received their eviction notice from their landlord of over three decades. They turned eviction lemons into summer lemonade, as they took the time to refocus and refresh. A new location has been found in the St. Michael’s Village West Shopping Center and the plan is to reopen early next month. They’ve dropped the word Cafe from their name; they will now be called, simply, Tecolote. With the updated name comes an updated abstract owl logo. Continue reading
Wrap a hot dog in bacon, top it with beans, onions, tomatoes, mustard, mayo, and jalapeño sauce, and stick it in a freshly baked bun. What you end up with is a Sonoran-style hot dog, a Tucson-area specialty that, in our opinion, may be on the verge of becoming one of the hottest food trends in the country. One of Tucson’s Sonoran hot dog leaders, El Guero Canelo, is opening a fourth store in Phoenix. They made a similar announcement two years ago. That deal apparently fell through. Here’s hoping this one doesn’t! Continue reading
Holyoke has a larger percentage of residents of Puerto Rican descent than any other city outside of Puerto Rico, but this city, once known as Ireland Parish, also has a distinctly Irish character. Their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is said to be second in size only to the one held in The Big Apple. Is there food from the Emerald Isle to be found here? Sure enough, thanks to Mrs. Mitchell and her kitchen. Continue reading
Everyone who visits New Orleans is aware of the original Cafe du Monde at the French Market in the Vieux Carré . It’s not possible to fly out of Louis Armstrong International unless a gate agent certifies that your shirt is covered with powdered sugar. There are seven branches scattered in and about NOLA, and they’re fine in a beignet emergency. However, the original is the most fun. But did you know that the greatest number of Cafe du Mondes can be found in Japan? 21 to be exact. How did that happen? Continue reading
Urbanspoon just released their list of Top Cheap Eats in major cities across the U.S. and Canada. Hut’s Hamburgers and Round Rock Donuts were named in Austin, TX, while Gene & Jude’s and their hot dogs were chosen for Chicago. Some other favorites of ours: Shake Shack and Burger Joint in NYC, Peters’ Drive-In in Calgary, and the two noted Montreal bagelries, Fairmount and St-Viateur. Check out the full list here. Continue reading
Polly’s Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill, NH, founded in 1938, is the premier pancake spot in New England. They make their own maple cream and maple sugar, grind the organic grains for their buckwheat, corn, and whole wheat pancakes, and make a stupendously good topping, known as Hurricane Sauce, of apples cooked in maple syrup and butter. There are only two negatives that we can think of: it’s very popular but seats only 65, and it closes from October until spring. And that’s about to change. Continue reading
As you stroll from the parking lot to Barbara Jean’s front door, eyeing the Mercedes and Jaguars and BMWs you pass along the way, you might be skeptical of your chances of finding good, and inexpensive, home cooking inside. Nonetheless, here it is, in the golfing mecca of Ponte Vedra Beach. Continue reading
Washington D.C.’s Florida Avenue Grill turned 70 years old yesterday. To mark the event, Sarah Kaplan looks back at the Grill’s 70 years for The Washington Post. Very interesting story. For instance, the current owner, Imar Hutchins, who purchased the restaurant nine years ago, is a vegetarian. He’s recently been sprinkling in a few more healthful menu options, while at the same time preserving all the old soul food favorites. He also “increased tipped workers’ pay to a dollar above the District’s minimum wage and begin granting paid vacation and sick days.” Read the whole story here. Continue reading
The iconic, independently operated Colorado truck stop known as Johnson’s Corner has been sold to the largest truck stop chain in the country, TravelCenters of America. The sale went through at the end of September. Original owner Joe Johnson started the truck stop in the 1950s. The stop became famous for its cinnamon roll, which was baked at home by an employee. In the ’60s, the Corner began baking the cinnamon rolls in a formal bakery. Today, 15,000 cinnamon are sold each month across the Front Range. Continue reading
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