Left at the Fork

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Category: 3 Cars (Page 2 of 6)

The tomatoes for a spectacular late summer salad were harvested that morning from the garden kitty-corner from the restaurant.

At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Cafe, Duluth MN

September 21, 2017 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Farm-to-table has been the key restaurant buzzword for the last decade or two, and it’s a development we heartily applaud. Still, we can’t help but have nagging suspicions in the backs of our minds: just how local, from what kind of farm, and how long was the interval between farm and table. We have no such concerns about At Sara’s Table…: the gorgeous, ripe tomatoes (and fresh basil) from our Caprese salad one summer evening were picked that morning by our waitress in the garden across the street. Continue reading

You are pretty much looking at Anchor's menu: burgers and fries. Choices involve choosing how many third-pound beef patties you want on your bun, what you want your burger garnished with, and what you plan to drink.

Anchor Bar and Grill, Superior WI

September 17, 2017 / / 0 Comments

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You can have drippy, juicy one-third, two-thirds, or full-pound burgers, dressed plain or fancy (or just plain weird); a mountain of French fries that were recently whole potatoes; and beer. That’s it. The entire menu. Oh, they’ll also make you a sandwich with the available burger toppings if you’d like, so there’s a grilled cheese, a ham sandwich, a BLT… but you want a burger, preferably in the double (2/3-pound) configuration or larger. Continue reading

A simple, unimprovable wedge of Betty's finest: raspberry-rhubarb

Betty’s Pies, Two Harbors MN

September 12, 2017 / / 2 Comments

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Betty Lessard was a North Shore legend. It was a legend built upon a pallet of flour and lard. Yes, her dexterity with the rolling pin knew no equal. It was in 1956 that Ms. Lessard took control of the family smoked fish shack, over time turning the small business into a cafe, and then a cafe whose raison d’être was pie. She’d bake up to a hundred pies each morning for her loyal customers. Continue reading

Askov's Little Mermaid Cafe featured a Danish Dinner during the Rutabaga Festival, consisting of frikadeller, rutmus, rodkaal, and a Danish dessert. Pictured is half a dinner - they divided a single dinner between two plates. This is hearty, rib-sticking food that's easy to appreciate.

The Little Mermaid Cafe, Askov MN

September 9, 2017 / / 0 Comments

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The Pine County Historical Society is a local museum in the Danish-American town of Askov, MN. A small piece of that museum is devoted to The Little Mermaid Cafe, which serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week. We were lucky to be there during the Askov Rutabaga Festival, when they featured a special Danish Dinner from 11A until 2P. Continue reading

It may be a rutabaga festival but the culinary stars of the show are the hot, freshly made æbleskiver, here sided by medisterpølse, a Danish pork sausage.

Askov Rutabaga Festival & Fair, Askov MN, August 25th through 27th 2017

September 8, 2017 / / 1 Comment

REVIEW

What’s America’s least-favorite vegetable? It’s hard to pick just one but certainly in the running are turnips, okra, Brussels sprouts, and rutabaga. We’d have included beets on that list until the last few years, which have seen an explosion of interest in the vegetable – beet salads with chevre and walnuts are on every other upscale menu today. Continue reading

The classic Walter's configuration: the dog is split before grilling, well-browned in buttery flavored oil, and bunned splayed apart, topped with their unique brown mustard dotted with relish bits.

Walter’s Hot Dogs, Mamaroneck NY

August 16, 2017 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

More than one hot-dog-loving food writer has proclaimed Walter’s Hot Dogs as the source of America’s finest hot dogs. While that assessment is certainly open to debate, less debatable is the assertion that Walter’s is America’s finest hot dog stand. For sure, there is none other even remotely similar to the early 1900s weathered-green copper-crowned pagoda building with lanterns at each corner. It’s a beauty, alright, and it’s been declared a national landmark to boot. Continue reading

The brawny, crusty loaves of Utica Bread can be found at the Saturday market.

Oneida County Public Market, Utica NY

July 17, 2017 / / 0 Comments

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The USDA has classified a portion of downtown Utica as a food desert, which means the residents have low access to fresh food. The Oneida County Public Market was established, in part, to help address that situation. Located outside the historic 1914 Union Station (and inside the station during the cold months), OCPM is a year-round, Saturday morning operation. Continue reading

A pair of Texas dogs, which at Pete's means a topping of Greek-style meat sauce. Mustard optional.

Pete’s Hot Dogs Inc., Newburgh NY

July 15, 2017 / / 5 Comments

REVIEW

First of all, let’s ask the important question: Do you like hot dogs? We ask because, if you don’t, there’s no point in reading any further. Pete’s sells hot dogs, and only hot dogs. Oh, there are toppings to choose from and, of course, they also offer drinks. You can even nab some packaged chips or cookies if you must. But Pete’s is about the tube steak, fast and hot. They want you in and out. And they’ll get no complaints from us. Continue reading

Pepperoni, pepper ham, fresh mozzarella, and best of all, Todaro's terrific olive spread

Todaro Bros., New York NY

November 4, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

We love the New York City hero. We also love Philadelphia hoagies and Louisiana muffulettas and all their regional brethren. A muffuletta is defined by the olive salad garnish. A hoagie, unless otherwise specified, comes with lettuce, tomato, and onion (order a cheesesteak hoagie, as opposed to a cheesesteak, and you are requesting your sandwich to be garnished [however ill-advised] with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions). Continue reading

Bauernwurst (farmer sausage) is a coarse-ground pork sausage. Note that these sausages are served heated, but not pan-browned or grilled. With sausages this good, the taste of the sausage itself is showcased.

Swan Market, Rochester NY

October 31, 2015 / / 2 Comments

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Who doesn’t love grocery store dining? There’s something especially appealing about sitting amongst the shelves of canned beans and boxes of elbow macaroni while chowing down on a drippy burger or plate of crunchy catfish. We always thought you had to head south to find places like this, until now. The Swan Market is a German meat market/grocery, located in a residential Rochester neighborhood, that offers a bargain lunch four days a week. And the Swan is no Northern knockoff of a Southern tradition; it is thoroughly Rochesterian in character. Continue reading

This small order of skin-on fries is as tall as our big cup of loganberry. It's hard to imagine what a large serving is like!

Steve’s Pig & Ox Roast, Lackawanna NY

October 23, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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When they say Pig & Ox Roast, they’re not kidding (well, they are kidding just a little: they roast beef, not oxen, which are actually the same creature, the latter being trained and used as draft animals). Check out the long window along one side of the dining room, through which you can inspect the huge roasting contraption. If you come at the right time, you’ll see the hunks of meat (which include lamb and turkey, too) slowly becoming the stuff of which these fine sandwiches are made. Continue reading

We've never seen milkweed served in any other restaurant. It's the perfect springtime dish.

Saltsman’s Hotel, Ephratah NY

October 20, 2015 / / 2 Comments

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If it’s spring, it’s milkweed time in Ephratah! Would you like to sample one of the more esoteric American regional specialties? Then head to Saltsman’s Hotel in late May or early June to try some verdant milkweed. Continue reading

A beautifully browned loaf of that local favorite, semolina bread

Rose & Joe’s Italian Bakery, Astoria NY

October 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

We both grew up in the suburbs of New York City during the 1960s and have fond memories of the breads turned out from the ovens of our local Italian bakeries. These brawny Italian loaves were destined to be split and layered with cold cuts or loaded with meatballs and Italian sausage for heroes, or sliced vertically every inch or so and spread with garlic butter, then wrapped in foil and baked for ’60s-style garlic bread. Sometimes we’d just eat hunks torn from the loaf and smeared with margarine (or, rarely, butter), leaving the table blanketed with crumbs from the shattering crust. Continue reading

Our boxed leftovers: note the high crispy edge and the tomato-centric slices. We love how the cheese gets freckled-toasty.

Rizzo’s Fine Pizza, Astoria NY

October 13, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

What exactly is Sicilian pizza? When we were kids in NY, we used to eat it all the time. Its defining characteristic, to us, was the thick, bready crust, sturdy enough to support every topping in the house (except anchovies). So when we heard about the oxymoronic-sounding thin-crusted Sicilian, we became curious: how is it possible? A little investigation turned up the fact that Sicilian pizza as made in the US is not like pizza in Sicily; it’s an Italian-American invention. There’s no reason Sicilian has to have a thick crust. But there are unique Sicilian characteristics beyond the rectangular dimensions. Continue reading

Hot capicola, fresh mozzarella, and roasted peppers on a fresh, seeded Italian roll: Mike's custom-built heroes are spectacular.

Mike’s Deli, Bronx NY

August 2, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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Mike’s Deli is the Italian grocery of our dreams! And it’s barely a grocery at that; mostly, it’s a deli counter, packed literally to the rafters with hanging prosciutti, curing dry sausages, cheeses, oils, imported dried pastas, breads and rolls, jars of pickled vegetables… the sights, sounds, and smells cause sensory overload. Continue reading

The filling looks like some sort of commercial creme-oid, but it is in fact the most delicious homemade soft marshmallow.

Mike’s Homemade Candies, Cheektowaga NY

July 22, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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Where did the Charlie Chaplin log come from? You can find it in just about every chocolate store in Buffalo, yet nobody we spoke with has a clue about where or how it originated. Sold as a candy log about the shape of a loaf of biscotti before it’s been sliced, Charlie Chaplins wrap chocolate, coconut, and cashews around a soft marshmallow filling (like Rocky Road spiked with coconut). Continue reading

Platter of assorted salumi: as is typical in Tuscany, the meats are fattier than we'd find in the US. Not in the photo, we were served slices of the most exquisite melon we've ever tasted. Sweet, complex, and juicy and firm-textured.

Trattoria Ponterotto, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Florence, Tuscany, Italy

July 11, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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Ribollita, the Tuscan cabbage soup thickened with bread

Ribollita, the Tuscan cabbage soup thickened with bread

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We love the rice noodle in all its forms. They can be filled with almost any sort of meat, poultry, or seafood.

Wonder Seafood, Edison NJ

July 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

We have nothing against modern, chefly dim sum restaurants, any more than we object to fancy-pants chefs’ takes on Italian cuisine, say, or beachside cuisine. We often enjoy the upscale, pricier stuff made from carefully sourced ingredients, artfully plated. But sometimes we want a perfect plate of simple, homey lasagna, or an overflowing basket of fried belly clams with o-rings. Or, more to the matter at hand, old-school dim sum served from rolling carts in a frantic, bustling, hyperventilating weekend morning scene. And there are none in the North Jersey area (and few, for that matter, in Manhattan’s Chinatown, across the river) the equal of Edison’s Wonder Seafood. Continue reading

A traditional New Jersey Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese is served on a hard roll. That setup is available at the White Rose, of course, but we recommend going one step further and getting your sandwich on a hero roll.

White Rose Diner, Linden NJ

July 6, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

Sue places a breakfast order for a Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. She does not like runny yolks.

SUE: How do you do your eggs?
COUNTERMAN: Well… when I get here in the morning I turn on the grill and let it heat up. Then I get the eggs out…
(Laughter from the working men dining at the counter, almost to a man with work pants riding down low enough to expose butt cleavage)
SUE: I get enough smart-ass answers from my husband.
(More chuckles)
BRUCE (to counterman): I think she’s falling in love with you.
(Further laughter from the pew)
COUNTERMAN: It happens that quick, does it? Continue reading

Insalatina di Zucchine, Parmigiano, Pinoli e Olio di Tartufo: A very beautiful salad of thinly sliced zucchini with Parmigiana, pine nuts, and truffle oil

Ristorante Buca Mario, Florence, Italy

July 5, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

1/2 Melone al Porto: The melons we encountered were just amazing. Never have we had melon in the US as ripe, sweet, and full of flavor as the ones we had in Italy.

1/2 Melone al Porto: The melons we encountered were just amazing. Never have we had melon in the US as ripe, sweet, and full of flavor as the ones we had in Italy.

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