the road | the food | a new direction
It took a victory by the Buffalo Bills Sunday against the New York Jets to enable the Pittsburgh Steelers to qualify for the AFC playoffs. Don’t think that Pittsburghers aren’t grateful. To express their appreciation, the original, Strip District location of Primanti’s (as in, fries and slaw in the sandwich) shipped a thank you package to the Bills’ front office yesterday, complete with a couple of Terrible Towels. Maybe one day Anchor Bar will have the chance to return the favor.
The scruffy urban dog house turned hipster, gluten-aware hot dog emporium known as Soul Dog, of Poughkeepsie, New York, closed in October and is unlikely to reopen in the city. There’s talk of possibly reopening at some point outside of the Poughkeepsie area. When we paid Soul Dog a visit in 2014, during its hipster incarnation, we were delighted with the inventively topped tube steaks and hand-cut fries. Thankfully, gluten-free was only an option, not de rigueur.
If Nashville hot chicken is your passion, and you live in NYC, you’re in luck because, come February, Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen will be serving their signature spicy fried bird in Brooklyn. Carla Hall’s description of her new restaurant: “a slow-cooked, fast-served neighborhood eatery serving up old-fashioned southern comfort goodness.” Hot chicken is the star but the menu will feature much more from the Southern kitchen. Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen is already dishing up hot chicken and sides at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena; the real restaurant will be found at 115 Columbia Street, between the Red Hook and Cobble Hill neighborhoods.
Looking to try the best steaks across America? Then you’d better plan a stop in Le Mars, Iowa to visit Archie’s Waeside. Archie’s hasn’t exactly lived its 60+ years in anonymity — it’s well-known among regional food aficionados — but neither has it been as readily acknowledged nationally as, say, Peter Luger in Brooklyn, NY. That situation, apparently, is being corrected. This year, Archie’s was the recipient of a James Beard American Classic Award. Rachael Ray selected it as America’s fourth best steakhouse. And Yahoo! recently named it the best steak in Iowa. What Archie Jackson started in 1949 is finally receiving the love it deserves. And Iowans are proud.
Larry Olmsted’s been writing a wonderful series of stories for USA TODAY called Great American Bites, where he showcases the best, most interesting regional foods and restaurants America has to offer (much like we do here at LAF!). As 2015 comes to a close, Mr. Olmsted takes a look at the best of the best: ten eateries receiving his highest, OMG!, rating. Continue reading
From the perspective of American Jews, two important things happen on Christmas: one, most people are home celebrating with family. This means that movie theaters, which do not generally close for the holiday, are devoid of crowds. Two, most restaurants are closed for Christmas, but Chinese restaurants usually remain open. And so a Jewish Christmas was born: Chinese food and a movie out! Lately, newfangled Jewish delis have joined in the fun by presenting Chinese Christmas meals. We know of two delis that put out a Chinese spread for the holiday: Continue reading
Let the debate begin! Tom Sietsema, food writer for The Washington Post, did some extensive dining across America, with the goal of determining the nation’s top ten eating cities. Some results? The top three cities are all on the Pacific coast! Houston beats Philadelphia, and both beat Chicago and New York! We’re glad to see the recognition for Charleston, SC and New Orleans, two truly fabulous and unique food cities. Gotta hand it to Mr. Sietsema, agree or disagree, it took a lot of research and a passion for eating (and big brass ones) to produce such a list. There is a ton of great info here for future travelers, and a lot of appetizing reading. See for yourself.
What began almost a decade ago as a one-off gift giveaway for Christmas has become a holiday tradition in Rochester, New York. This year, almost 700 kids received gifts from Santa at Nick Tahou, best known as the originator of the notorious garbage plate. For some local families, the Tahou gift giveaway IS Christmas. See the WHAM video story of the event: Continue reading
Ryan Jennings is a Rochester, NY chef, and he discussed his favorite food spots in the Flower City with the local Democrat & Chronicle. It’s always good to get the point of view of someone in the biz, and his recommendations ring true in our ears. Chef Jennings says the meat market Fair Game Food’s signature pastrami sandwich should be a Rochester rite of passage. It can be found in the Rochester Public Market, which, as well, gets a high recommendation from the chef (and from us – it’s a great old-fashioned indoor and outdoor city market). Continue reading
How do you define most popular? One way would be to see what gets posted most frequently to Instagram, and that’s exactly what Refinery29 did, working with Instagram to determine America’s 20 most popular bakeries. But, we might also ask, how do you define bakery? Because the “bakery” that was anointed the most popular in America has never baked a single thing in its 153 year history! Cafe du Monde‘s New Orleans beignets take a hot oil bath before a heavy powder with confectioner’s sugar. Eh, big deal, they want to call Cafe du Monde America’s most popular bakery, it’s alright by us. Continue reading
If the Carnegie Deli is gone forever, they have nobody to blame but themselves. Between paying out over two million dollars last year in a back wages settlement to employees, and the divorce battle between the owner and her philandering general manager/husband, and the closing of the deli in April when illegal gas hookups designed to cheat the utility were discovered, the collapse of this institution seems inevitable. The owner from time to time announces the impending reopening of the Carnegie but it never comes to pass, and the talk is getting louder that the Carnegie may be closed permanently. Continue reading
The inventor of the Buffalo wing, Anchor Bar, opened a branch on The Strip in Las Vegas, in the Venetian. So how do these wings stack up against the original? Writing for Las Vegas Weekly, Brock Radke says “stick to mild, medium or hot sauces, and you’ll find simple wing happiness. They’re plenty meaty and wonderfully crispy, and not at all dried out like what might happen at your neighborhood bar.” You can also go Full Buffalo and get yourself a beef-on-weck while you’re at it (that’s roast beef on a salt-and-caraway spangled roll), which must be a rare sight west of the Rockies.
“Barbecue” is very popular in parts of upstate New York, but the barbecue to which we refer is nothing like what you’ll find throughout America’s Barbecue Belt. This Q is not smoked, and consists of chopped pork or chicken, or roast beef, in a barbecue sauce, on a hamburger bun. At Voss the meat is always sliced, not chopped, and the flaps are piled on the bun, then topped with the sauce. The sandwiches are mellow and enjoyable, and a real taste of upstate NY. Continue reading
New York State hot dog cookery covers a broad stylistic swath, from the snapping, garlicky beef franks of “The City,” to the slashed, grilled-over-coals beef-and-pork beauties of Buffalo and Rochester. Virtually every city of any size will have one or more old-time hot dog shops, often passing the years with little or no attention, but with a steady, loyal clientele. Continue reading
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
We’ve enjoyed Junior’s famous Brooklyn cheesecake for decades, so imagine our delight when the 65-year-old deli moved their cheesecake baking operations to Burlington, NJ, just a short hop down the interstate for us. And, yes, they have a factory store on site. For those who don’t live in central Jersey, all day today Junior’s original location in Brooklyn will celebrate their 65th anniversary by offering slices of plain cheesecake for 65 cents (regular price is $6.95)! The offer is for eat-in or take-out, and an entrée purchase is required for eat-in only. Stop by today to help them celebrate, and get yourself a true slice of New York history at a bargain price.
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
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
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
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
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