the road | the food | a new direction

Category: 2 Cars (Page 6 of 6)

Carmen’s Deli, Bellmawr NJ

REVIEW

Carmen’s Deli has achieved a measure of national fame from a visit by The Next Food Network Star winner Aaron “Big Daddy” McCargo, Jr. His sandwich of choice for The Best Thing I Ever Ate was a Carmen’s cheese steak with fried onions and cherry peppers. That combo is now listed on the menu as the Big Daddy, and we gave it a try (“we” being Bruce and the ayersian couple of Chris and Amy). It was quite alright, with plenty of meat, but it didn’t blow us away. Needed more onions and cheese, and the peppers were sparse and too timid. Better than average but not LAF-worthy. Continue reading

Markey’s Lobster Pool, Seabrook NH

REVIEW

In the far northeastern corner of Massachusetts, around Ipswich and Essex, you’ll find the best fried clams in America. Head about 18 miles up the coast, to Maine, and you’ll begin to find America’s finest lobsters. So doesn’t it seem reasonable that those short 18 miles between the Massachusetts and Maine coasts would be an equally rich source for great seafood? Yet, have you ever heard of anyone heading to New Hampshire for seafood? Well, that’s not quite what we did, but we did stop in Seabrook on the way to Maine, where we found worthy fried clams and lobster rolls that are well-known to locals but mostly a secret to visitors passing by on the interstate. Continue reading

Hash House, Las Vegas NV

REVIEW

For some reason we feel compelled to make this confession whenever we are about to recommend a restaurant for its hash: we like canned hash. OK, not “we”; one of us does (we won’t say which one, but we will say that his wife finds the tightly packed, greasy, cylindrical-shaped substance with an aroma uncomfortably close to dog food to be, how to put this delicately… vile). Hopefully, you’ll take that as an indication of a real love of hash, not a real lack of taste. Because if you trust us, we can direct you to a Las Vegas breakfast jackpot called Hash House, which really is a HASH house. Continue reading

Tozier’s, Bethel VT

REVIEW

Do you love side-of-the-road eateries from the early days of motor touring? They are really quite scarce now, most having been razed for chain restaurants, shopping malls, and housing developments. That’s why we were especially delighted to find Tozier’s, very much as we imagine it must have looked in 1946 when Rip and Gwen Tozier purchased Rood’s Ice Cream Stand and cabin court. It was the Toziers who initiated the tradition of seafood at this restaurant in a New England state without a coastline. Today’s Tozier’s (motto: Tastes of the Ocean) still serves the fresh Ipswich clams and scallops, clam chowder, and lobster rolls that the 1940s Tozier’s was famous for. Continue reading

Elite Restaurant, Jackson MS

REVIEW

The Elite is a Greek-American-owned Southern diner, opened in 1947 by Pete and Jimmy Zouboukos, serving a terrific enchilada plate. It’s not a diner in the New Jersey sense of the word, yet they specialize in the kinds of food you would expect to find in diners, if diners had originated in the American South; simple, comforting food. Continue reading

Eaton’s Sugarhouse, South Royalton VT

REVIEW

Eaton’s is a tourist restaurant. Let’s state that right up front. Yes, almost anywhere in Vermont that specializes in things maple receives plenty of tourists but (and maybe we’re wrong here) we can’t imagine the local who would walk through Eaton’s doors.  That doesn’t have to imply that there’s nothing good to eat under Eaton’s roof. In fact, there is, but you’ll have to choose carefully. Continue reading

Onion Flats, Bethel VT

REVIEW

Summer along the New England shore means seafood, but what about inland New England? What’s the great roadside food to be found at summer only stands in the Green Mountains of Vermont? How about seafood? Yes, improbable as it may seem, locals flock to Onion Flats in the Bethel countryside for belly clams, haddock, scallops, and lobster rolls. Continue reading

Daphne’s Diner, Robbinsville NJ

REVIEW

Our new favorite local diner! Especially after the sale of Mastoris in Bordentown a couple of years ago Daphne’s, open since October of 2011, has become our go-to breakfast out spot. Actually, we should say Daphne’s reopened in 2011, because this spot was once occupied by Daphne Wilczynski, up until 2005. Then Daphne closed the diner to focus on catering, and the old diner alternated between vacancy, a brief run as the Italian restaurant Diamond’s, and another brief episode as Fernando’s.
Continue reading

Glenda’s Creole Kitchen, Breaux Bridge LA

REVIEW

Whenever we go in search of Left at the Fork eats, our fantasy revolves around finding that perfect, out-of-the-way, unassuming lunch spot with a local clientele, good food, and low prices, run by an out-front, hands-on proprietor who knows her customers. Such places are simply not that common. Well, that fantasy was fulfilled by Glenda’s outside of Breaux Bridge, LA. Continue reading

Aunt Lucy’s Dinner House, Kingston ON

CLOSED

REVIEW

“Time-tested recipes for that familiar taste of home,” says Aunt Lucy’s website, and that statement pretty much sums it up. Aunt Lucy means to coddle you, not challenge you. There’s nothing to eat here that you haven’t eaten before, at home. And hallelujah for that! Continue reading

Frances’ Deli, Chicago IL

REVIEW

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

Mrs. Mitchell’s Kitchen, Holyoke MA

REVIEW

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

Barbara Jean’s, Ponte Vedra Beach FL

REVIEW

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

Letizia’s Pizza, Norwalk CT

REVIEW

We imagine selling pizza in Connecticut is more challenging than in any other part of the country. After all, America’s greatest pizzas are found in the Nutmeg State. The bar here has been set awfully high. And while we wouldn’t match Letizia’s up against the best of its New Haven brethren, emerging from their oven are pizzas that we would be glad to call our neighborhood pies. These are well-executed pizzas, served with an unusual level of hospitality for a pie joint.

Continue reading

Chez Ben Diner, Manchester CT

REVIEW

It’s not easy to find Canadian cuisine in the U.S., unless you head up to our northern borders. Hell, most Americans probably don’t even know there IS such a thing as Canadian cuisine! Don’t they eat the same things that we do? Yes, they do, but there are also a surprising number of specialties unique to our northern neighbor, and many of them can be found at the Chez Ben Diner. Continue reading

Asian Bistro, Princeton Junction NJ

REVIEW

Pan-Asian? Really? Yes, we know, we know … But it appears there’s something more going on at Asian Bistro. Here are our first impressions after an initial visit. The restaurant features the cuisines of Korea, Thailand, China, Japan, and Vietnam (represented by only a bowl of pho). The owner is Korean-American, and as soon as you’re seated, an array of banchan, small dishes of food (Korean) meant to be shared,  is brought to the table. Today the banchan included kimchi, potatoes, bean sprouts, and fish, all cool and bright tasting, each boasting its own herb, spice, and sauce profile. Let this be a signal: we think the best way to approach Asian Bistro is as a Korean restaurant (something in very short supply in these parts.). Continue reading

Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria, Scottsdale AZ

REVIEW

There are a handful of Grimaldi’s pizzerias in Arizona, owned and operated by sons of the owner (no longer Patsy Grimaldi, incidentally) of Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn. We’ve only visited the one in Old Town Scottsdale (they’ve been expanding: there are now seven in AZ, twelve in Texas,  six in Vegas, and more in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, and South Carolina), but in our experience the pizza in Scottsdale, if you order correctly, is superior to the pies found at the Brooklyn original. Continue reading

Newer posts »

© 2024 Left at the Fork

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑