Author: Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle (Page 44 of 61)
As soon as late winter days see above-freezing temperatures (and as long as overnight temps drop below freezing) sugar maple sap is flowing and trees are tapped in maple sugaring country. That’s also when the regional maple festivals begin to pop up. This year’s 25th annual Hebron Maple Festival in Connecticut has been postponed from this coming weekend to March 21st and 22nd, because of heavy snow in the area. When that weekend arrives you’ll get the opportunity to immerse yourself in all things maple. Continue reading
Checking In at: Daphne’s Diner, Robbinsville NJ
We rolled into Daphne’s well into lunchtime but, of course, this is a diner, and breakfast is served all day. Both the breakfast and lunch menus arrived with long specials menus, where Daphne really stretches beyond the bounds of typical diner cuisine. Unlike at most diners, it’s OK to explore the outer regions here. Continue reading
LAF in the A.M. March 9th, 2015
A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day
HAPPY NATIONAL CRABMEAT DAY!
Sam’s Grill: A San Francisco Classic
Evanston Giordano’s Has Closed
Taste of Coastal Carolina
“Amazing Pizza,” Says Dave Barry
Chamberlain’s Roast Beef, Garnet Valley PA
REVIEW
Across much of the US, roast beef sandwiches are The People’s Choice; regardless of the local specialties, you’re likely to see some kind of roast beef sandwich on the menus, and tables, of bars and casual eateries. People love ’em. So do we. Sometimes served cold, often served hot with gravy, the meat is generally thinly sliced, and the sandwiches, satisfying as they may be, generally have a commercial quality to them; they don’t often resemble home cooking. Continue reading
LAF in the A.M. March 7th, 2015
A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day
HAPPY NATIONAL CROWN ROAST OF PORK DAY!
A Visit to Crown Candy Kitchen
Making Salsa at Boca Tacos Y Tequila of Tucson
The Frito Pie Queen Has Passed Away
A Tale of a Huddy Burger Love Affair
Oysterfest, Fulton TX, March 5th through 8th 2015
The oyster shucking contest is Sunday afternoon. The oyster eating contests are tomorrow and Sunday. There are cash prizes for the winners, up to $700 for the master shucker! Yes, we’re talking about Fulton, Texas’ 36th annual Oysterfest, co-sponsored by the town and its fire department, which began yesterday and continues through Sunday. Fulton is a Gulf Coast town about halfway between Houston and Mexico, perfectly situated for obtaining the Gulf’s freshest oysters. Continue reading
Campo’s Deli, Philadelphia PA
REVIEW
As we take our first bites out of our good cheesesteaks from Campo’s we are reminded once again of one of our basic street food tenets. For hoagies, subs, heroes, or whatever you want to call the torpedo-shaped cold cut sandwiches, we want the best bread available, with good chew and well-developed flavor. For hot torpedo sandwiches like cheesesteaks, veal parm heroes, or roast pork rabe, we prefer the bread to be less assertive. Continue reading
LAF in the A.M. March 6th, 2015
A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day
HAPPY NATIONAL WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE DAY!
Feasting Along Germantown Pkwy East of Memphis
10 Great American Pie Stops
KY’s Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn Keeps Its Employees
Chicago Pizza Introduced to Cubs Spring Training Park
Central Florida Fair, Orlando FL, February 26th through March 8th 2015
It began last Thursday and will continue through Sunday. We’re talking about the 103rd annual Central Florida Fair in Orlando. The first fair, celebrating the region’s agricultural industry, took place in 1910. Continue reading
J & M Cafe, Portland OR
REVIEW
We love the way the Pacific Northwest treats breakfast as more than a grab-a-bite afterthought. Some real consideration is given to the first meal of the day, and our “breakfast tour” of Portland turned up a number of winners, from the old-time hash-house Fuller’s to the hash specialists at the energized Bijou. Add to that the comfortable, laid-back ambiance of the J & M Cafe, a restaurant with a counterculture spirit. Continue reading
LAF in the A.M. March 5th, 2015
A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day
HAPPY NATIONAL CHEESE DOODLE DAY!
Fradiani Frenzy at Bishop’s Orchards in CT
Arcade of Memphis Now Open for Dinner
Chope’s of NM Added to State Register of Cultural Properties
The Best Sandwich in the World Is in Chicago
Pennsylvania Maple Festival, Meyersdale PA, March 21st through 22nd & 25th through 29th 2015
One day in early 1947, Kate Smith mentioned on her radio show how much she would enjoy a taste of Vermont maple. The local citizens of Somerset County in Pennsylvania, inspired by this comment, sent her some of their own Pennsylvania brew. Kate’s response? In April, she proclaimed on her show that Somerset County maple syrup is the sweetest she ever tasted! And so the seed was planted for the Pennsylvania Maple Festival in Meyersdale, which was first held the following March. Continue reading
Sonny’s, Philadelphia PA
REVIEW
There’s not a lot of variables in a Philadelphia cheesesteak. In its classic configuration there’s a roll, meat, cheese, onions, and garnishes. While there’s some play in each of the five variables there’s really not much a cheesesteak joint can do to clearly stand out from the crowd, despite what most writers on the subject would have you believe. Some are better than others, sure, but we find that the day-to-day and month-to-month variation from the same joint is greater than the variation between joints. Which means your favorite today might not be your favorite if you compare tomorrow, or next month. So don’t get too bent out of shape seeking out the one place that someone claimed makes the best. Go to any of the dozen or so places frequently named and you’ll likely enjoy the results. Continue reading
LAF in the A.M. March 4th, 2015
A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day
HAPPY NATIONAL POUND CAKE DAY!
New England Diner Cookbook
When Irish Fries Are Smiling
Graeter’s Doubling Gelato Offerings; 4 New Flavors
A Closer Look at Archie’s Waeside of Iowa
Buzzard Day, Hinckley OH, March 15 2015
It happens Sunday, March 15th, in Hinckley, OH: the return of the buzzards! Yes, the first sign of spring appears like clockwork (or so they say) on March 15th of each year, as that most unlovely bird, also known as a turkey vulture, shows up at the Hinckley Reservation in Ohio. How is it that the first buzzard appearance is always March 15th? Simple, really: no sighting of the bird is official until the Official Buzzard Spotter spots the first buzzard on the morning of the 15th. Continue reading
King Condrell’s Candy & Ice Cream, Kenmore NY
REVIEW
If you spend a significant amount of time in Buffalo, it doesn’t take long to notice the large number of candy and ice cream shops scattered about the region. Buffalonians evidently have a penchant for eating sweets, and that’s good news for LAFers. Continue reading
A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day
HAPPY NATIONAL COLD CUTS DAY!
Every State’s Best Burger
The Best Cookies in NYC
8 Classic Eateries in Indianapolis
Changes Coming to Sally Bell’s in Richmond VA
Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival, Fort Myers Beach FL, March 14th Through 15th 2015
“World Famous Lions Shrimp Dinners”: that’s the big draw to the 57th annual Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival in Florida, scheduled for March 14th and 15th. Lions shrimp is not some variety of shrimp, cousin to tiger shrimp, that you’ve never heard of; rather, the festival, and shrimp dinners, are sponsored by the Fort Myers Beach Lions Club. Continue reading
Pho Tan, Trenton NJ
REVIEW
What brought us to Pho Tan was not the pho but the banh mi which were recently touted in a local publication as the “perfect sandwich” that will “change your life.” Our lives remain as they were but the sandwich has all the right flavors, and would make a pleasant appetizer to a bowl of pho. The problem is the almost comical paucity of filling. We haven’t seen sandwiches this under-filled since our days in ’70s London. The banh mi is only $4, and perhaps what else could you expect at the price? Continue reading
