Left at the Fork

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Category: 2 Cars (Page 3 of 6)

A Western Skillet mixes good home fries with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Atop is layered bacon, two eggs, and shredded cheese, white toast on the side.

Summit Diner, Somerset PA

June 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

The Pennsylvania Turnpike runs 360 miles from Pennsylvania’s eastern to western borders, a five to seven hour drive end to end, which is long enough to send most long-distance drivers in search of sustenance along the way. And therein lies a problem, because the Pennsylvania Turnpike has long been notorious for its extremely meager dining options, both on the turnpike and in the nearby communities. The situation is so bad that most of those who have rolled on its pavement would be grateful for any sort of tip at all that would lead them to something more promising than the rest areas or the burger and chicken chains. Continue reading

The sandwich that bears the name of the eatery is prepared like a Stahley's cheesesteak, with grilled ham replacing the steak. It's a satisfying combination of flavors.

Stahley’s, Allentown PA

June 11, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Let’s get this out of the way up front: Stahley’s does not serve the best anything. We know that some people who come to LAF care about the food, and nothing but the food, and we have no problem at all with that approach but we have to say, if that describes you, do not come to Stahley’s. You will be disappointed. Continue reading

This is half a special, split by our very accommodating waitress.

Stanich’s, Portland OR

June 10, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

How did Portland become such a hamburger-eater’s paradise? We expected to find all manner of local seafood, such as exquisite salmon, both smoked and fresh, and the enormous razor clams and Dungeness crab that this region is deservedly known for, and a farm country bounty of fresh-from-the-earth produce. What we did not expect was the burger-mania evident in this city. Continue reading

Grover's burger, with crisp garnishes, is a beautiful sight.

Grover’s Bar & Grill, East Amherst NY

June 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

A gentleman at the next table was regaling his family, and the waitress, with tales of how, when he was a teenager, he used to eat two hamburgers at Grover’s. We wondered at the amazed reactions to his dog-bites-man confession. Eating two burgers doesn’t seem so outlandish to us. Then our own burgers arrived, and we understood. Continue reading

You can get your pizza any way you want, but there are a few set-piece specialty pizzas. This one features ham, double cheese and onions, and no red sauce.

Pizza Perfect, Trucksville PA

June 6, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Pizza snobs beware: what you will find at Pizza Perfect in Trucksville, PA, and at similar pizza specialists in the region, requires you to compartmentalize everything you think you know about what makes great pizza and what constitutes inferior pizza. In other words, enter these doors with an open mind and a LAF spirit. Continue reading

Be sure to order your burger with fried onions, which are absolutely necessary for the full enjoyment of a Greasy Nick's cheeseburger. This one's a double.

Greasy Nick’s, New Rochelle NY

June 4, 2015 / / 5 Comments

REVIEW

For a summer patio picnic, Greasy Nick’s is just the ticket. A fiercely downscale New Rochelle spot, across the street from a gas station, there’s nothing refined about the food or setting. This urban shoreline treat is vaguely reminiscent of a New England clam shack, but with a city grit that is far removed from anything you’ll find along the coast of Maine. Continue reading

Hot caramel sauce and Heath Bar pieces over vanilla soft serve: this is summer living!

Magnifico’s Ice Cream, East Brunswick NJ

June 3, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Many folks who grew up in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut have fond memories of heading to the local Carvel stand for Brown Bonnets and Cherry Bonnets, Flying Saucers and twin peaks cones. Carvel is still around but most of the iconic stand-alone stores are not, at least not as Carvel stores. Pre-made ice cream cakes and supermarket novelties seem to be Carvel’s main focus today. Continue reading

The chickens are beautifully bronzed on a rotating spit.

Joe’s Poultry Farm, Vineland NJ

May 20, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

We’d have to say that one of the great culinary developments of the new century has to be the ubiquity of the roasted supermarket chicken. Supermarkets upscale and pedestrian alike have found it makes sense to offer hot roasted chickens at a price not all that much more than the uncooked bird. It’s an incredible convenience for families without a dedicated homemaker. The one downside, as we see it, is that they often overdo the seasonings, and the result is a bird that tastes more of herbs or garlic or lemon than roasted chicken. Continue reading

The classic Lehigh Valley configuration includes brown mustard, chili, and chopped onions.

Pete’s Hot Dog King, Bethlehem PA

May 14, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Chili dogs and deep-fried pierogi: that’s your lunch. Where are you? If you answered Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, count yourself among the LAF cognoscenti. What French fries are to most of the fast-food eating populace, fried pierogi are to the Lehigh Valley. And what Yocco’s is to Allentown, Pete’s is to Bethlehem. Continue reading

Icy mugs of Triple XXX root beer

Triple XXX Family Restaurant, West Lafayette IN

May 6, 2015 / / 1 Comment

REVIEW

Triple XXX was once, decades ago, a thriving chain of restaurants, serving their own Texas-made root beer throughout the South, Midwest, and West. This particular Triple XXX, near Purdue U in West Lafayette, opened in 1929 and is one of two remaining (and independently owned) Triple XXX restaurants left in the U.S. (the other is in Issaquah, WA). Lafayette’s Triple XXX has a commitment to quality that is readily apparent. Their motto, “On The Hill But On The Level,” refers to both its levee location and the honest food they serve. They grind their own sirloin for burgers (or, as they call them, chop steaks). Shakes are made with real ice cream. Much of the food is made from scratch. It shows. Continue reading

To gild this lily, pour on some of the homemade strawberry jam found on every table.

Pat’s Colonial Kitchen, Newtown PA

May 5, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

When we’re on the road, we enjoy spending our mornings at a town café where the locals meet, the sort of place open for breakfast and lunch only, a place where there’s no need for the waitress to introduce herself as she already knows all the customers. And also the kind of place where the food is good. Oddly though, we’d never found such a place near home. Until now, that is. Continue reading

Chicken fried steak can be ordered as breakfast or lunch; your choice determines your sides. This is the breakfast version, which garnishes your 12-ounce steak with crisp hash browns, two eggs, cream gravy, and...

Morgan’s Country Kitchen, Florence OR

April 25, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Morgan’s Country Kitchen has been a hearty-eats oasis on the Oregon coast for decades. It has not changed a lot over the years – we recommend you arrive hungry. Our chicken fried steak platter was enormous. Continue reading

Bruciolini wraps beef around a stuffing of cheese, sausage, and ground beef. The roll is sliced and topped with Sal's sweet tomato sauce.

Sal & Judy’s, Lacombe LA

April 21, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

When talk turns to that unique Creole/Italian cuisine of the New Orleans area, Mosca’s is always the first (and sometimes only) place to be mentioned. There’s good reason: it’s wonderful. Add two stars if you really, really love garlic. But Mosca’s is not the only game in town, and garlic is not the only way the Creole/Italian game is played. Continue reading

Red raspberry chip and Grape-Nuts: these are the smallest, child-size servings. White Farms is famous for their generous scooping technique.

White Farms Ice Cream, Ipswich MA

April 12, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

A regional taste recently made its first appearance on our LAF radar, at White Farms Ice Cream in Ipswich. One of their flavors is called Frozen Pudding, which we assumed was some sort of chocolate pudding-pop-like flavor. We didn’t try any. Then we saw it on other Eastern Massachusetts ice cream rosters so, curiosity piqued, we finally asked someone about it. Continue reading

Whoopie pies are a staple snack/dessert in Maine.

The Lobster Shack, Cape Elizabeth ME

April 10, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

The food at The Lobster Shack is good, in fact very good, but you can find better along the Maine coast. It’s not an undiscovered gem. In fact, there always seems to be a long line at the order counter. And the prices are a little higher than what you’ll find further up the coast, reflecting its proximity to the city of Portland. So why do we think The Lobster Shack is required eating for the visiting LAF pilgrim? Continue reading

Napoleon breaks with tradition and serves their muffulettas warm and toasted.

Napoleon House, New Orleans LA

April 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Here’s an idea for your next New Orleans trip: stop in at an historic pub with a French connection and enjoy a British cocktail along with a sandwich invented a few blocks away, have some Creole food on the side, and finish up with an Italian dessert. This can only be the Napoleon House, at the corner of Chartres and St. Louis in the Vieux Carré. Continue reading

A diner classic: hot roast beef sandwich, side of mashed potatoes

Glider Diner, Scranton PA

April 3, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Never underestimate the power of good brown gravy. Blanketing a hot roast beef sandwich, served as a dip alongside crisp, salty fries, and of course pooled in the crater of a volcano of mashed potatoes, brown gravy can make or break a diner meal. Continue reading

Winstead's onion rings are good and crunchy.

Winstead’s, Kansas City MO

March 28, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

We’ve encountered a style of hamburger cookery in the Midwest that we rarely see in the East. Many of these places use fresh, coarsely ground beef and smoosh it down hard on the cooktop, resulting in a thin, irregularly formed patty with crisp edges and the chaw of real beef which hasn’t been pulverized to a pulpy paste. The Kansas City chain Winstead’s makes such a burger. Continue reading

Those are pickle spears on the left; that's okra on the right.

Phillips Grocery, Oxford MS

March 27, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Phillips Grocery in Oxford is a branch of the original in Holly Springs. The one in Holly Springs is a can’t miss stop. This one, while not really a grocery, or even a former grocery, is a genuinely old wooden house south of town, converted into something reminiscent of the Holly Springs original, in an impressionistic sort of way. There are some picnic tables out on the front porch, and they can be a very pleasant place to spend some time munching on first-class hamburgers. Continue reading

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