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Ferdinando’s Focacceria, Brooklyn NY
REVIEW
Palermo street-snacks in Brooklyn! Yes, in the Italian neighborhood of Carroll Gardens, Ferdinando’s serves Sicilian specialties not commonly seen on this side of the Atlantic. Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL PIGS-IN-A-BLANKET DAY!
Donkey’s Place, Camden NJ
REVIEW
How has this escaped our notice through the decades of living in The Garden State? Here in Camden is one of the great cheesesteaks to be found anywhere, in a soulfully satisfying setting to boot. Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL CHERRY CHEESECAKE DAY!
REVIEW
Shoreline candy shops are a dime-a-dozen, and few are worthy of any serious attention (though, for sure, we’ve purchased our share of pastel-colored taffy, and tooth-achingly sweet fudge). An exception is Monica’s Chocolates, located a few hundred feet from the Canadian border in the Maine town of Lubec. Lubec is probably best known to travelers as the point at which one crosses by bridge to Campobello Island. Let it hereafter be also known for world-class chocolate. Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL JELLY BEAN DAY!
Sal & Judy’s, Lacombe LA
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
HAPPY NATIONAL CHOCOLATE-COVERED CASHEW TRUFFLE DAY!
Le Chien Noir Bistro, Kingston ON Canada
REVIEW
Le Chien Noir is a French-styled bistro (with Belgian leanings) that serves such classics as onion soup, steak frites, and mussels. But what really attracts us to Le Chien is its sophisticated take on North American favorites, which can be accompanied by a bottle from the selection of Canadian wines and beers. Continue reading
HAPPY LIMA BEAN RESPECT DAY!
The Rathskeller, Indianapolis IN
REVIEW
Visit just about any Midwestern city and you’ll find at least one 19th-century German restaurant still operating and thriving. German cuisine may have been the most out-of-fashion food in the country for ages (although, lately, it’s showing signs of life), but we find it hard to resist a visit to these great old dining halls. The Rathskeller is Indy’s oldest restaurant (open since 1894), and can be found in a building originally known as Das Deutsche Haus, a German social club. Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL GARLIC DAY!
Valois, Chicago IL
REVIEW
“See Your Food.” That’s Valois’ motto, and a curious one at that until you realize that it’s a cafeteria, where you have the opportunity to see your food before you order it. And as in all cafeterias, you have to fight back the urge to pile your tray with more food than you can eat. Continue reading
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANIMAL CRACKERS!
Green Dragon Farmers Market, Ephrata PA
REVIEW
One cannot help but be skeptical when confronting a “real” Amish anything in Pennsylvania Dutch country. This area has more than its share of cheap attempts to cash in on the Amish people who do in fact still live here, and the stream of visitors hungry for some contact with Amish culture. Most of these places seem about as authentic as an Arkansas merman. Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL CHEESEBALL DAY!
Luna Sea Fish House, Yachats OR
REVIEW
Robert Anthony is a Yachats-based fisherman. He owns the F/V Liberty II and uses it to fish for halibut, crab, salmon, and albacore. You can eat the creatures he catches at his tiny restaurant on Highway 101 in Yachats, across the street from the Green Salmon coffeehouse, or stop by to pick up the raw ingredients if you prefer to do the cooking yourself. Continue reading
HAPPY DAY OF THE MUSHROOM!
Feltman’s and Coney Island, Together Again
The story’s been told many times. In the early 1900s, a man by the name of Nathan Handwerker worked at a Coney Island restaurant called Feltman’s. Nathan left Feltman’s to open his own place in Coney Island, specializing in the new sausage invented by Mr. Feltman. He undercut his old employer, offering his “hot dogs” for half the price of Feltman’s. And the rest, as they say, is history, except that the story is always told from the point of view of Mr. Handwerker, to the point that most people with a passing knowledge of hot dog history believe the hot dog was actually invented by Nathan. Continue reading
