Driving across the country—please make some restaurant recommendations
Hey, so, we're driving from Northampton, MA to Los Angeles in a week and a half, and I'm trying to plan out the trip. Anyone have some restaurant/site of interest recommendations in:
-New York state along the 1-90?
-PA (especially Erie)?
-Ohio (especially Cleveland and Toledo)?
-Indiana (especially Gary, South Bend, and along the 80/90)?
-IL (esp. Chicago and the surrounding area)?
-Milwaukee?
-Rockford, IL?
-Iowa?
-Lincoln, and other major cities/towns in Nebraska?
-Denver, Grand Junction, and other points of interest in CO?
-Along the 70 and 15 in Utah?
-Vegas?
-Along the 15 entering CA?
Thanks for any recommendations on restaurants (or must-see sites!) you guys can tell me about.
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12 Comments:
Indiana: right off the I-80, on the Illinois/Indiana border. Get off at the Munster exit onto Calumet, go to Ridge Road, and get a burger at Schoop's. Classic diner...griddled patties with lacy edges, great fries, and an attached ice-cream parlour. Get a double burger/double cheese, or a 'Mickey', which is a single burger, double cheese. I grew up there, practically. They do dogs and egg salad as well, but I never had anything but a burger there.
My grandfather lost his sense in taste late in his life...he would eat cold soup out of the can, because it just didn't matter to him. But he was always happy when we took him to Schoop's. He'd make a fuss that his burger was too big, and he'd have to take half of it home, but somehow he always finished it.
They have a website, if you want to google it for directions.
In Chicago, Gino's for pizza (multiple locations) or Lou Malnati's. I also really like Grunt's opposite Lincoln Park Zoo for great hot sandwiches and interesting beer in a relaxed environment. Cops and fire-fighters eat there, and to me that just recommends a diner.
If you do stop in Munster, I recommend checking out the Gaeity, which is in neighbouring Lansing. It's a chocolate maker and ice-cream parlour, which has been around for ages. My grandfather courted my grandmother there, over chocolate malteds and hand-made truffles.
NotAmerican at 4:54AM on 05/17/09
I should add there's also an Edwardo's pizza right off the off-ramp at Calumet off the I-80. Great stuffed pizza...basically a thin-crust pizza with another crust over it. I used to take dates there in high school. The spinach pizza is particularly well-regarded, but it's all good.
NotAmerican at 5:07AM on 05/17/09
In Toledo ... since you also mention Cleveland I imagine you're taking the Turnpike. Get off at I-280 and head north. Just south of the Maumee River, get off at Front Street and turn right. The original Tony Packo's with their Hungarian sausages and sauce, mentioned by Klinger on M*A*S*H, will be on the right-hand side. Make sure to order the MOAD, or Mother Of All Dogs.
If you want higher-end food, make a left off 280 onto that same Front Street, then a right on Main and an immediate left onto Boers-Boyer Way. The Docks will be on the right side. There are five great restaurants there including Cousino's Navy Bistro, Real Seafood, and Zia's. And if you have kids with you, the cargo musem ship Willis B. Boyer is just past The Docks and should be open for tours.
LunaPierCook at 7:12AM on 05/17/09
Don't get your hopes up for anything good in the middle of Utah near the freeway. BEAUTIFUL country (UT is one of my favorite places, and 70>15 will give you quite the landscape), but there's not much out there. I haven't driven the *whole* stretch, but it's mostly chain food off the interstate if you're lucky, much of 70 is just nothing, beautiful nothing, but nothing. I would recommend having a cooler in the car, finding a nice grocery in Denver, and stocking up on like, good cheeses and other yummy snacks for the haul through Utah.
joyyy at 11:46AM on 05/17/09
I am in Utah and will check it out. There are some good places to eat near Nephi. This is a good breakfast area. The cooler is a good idea. We just drove to Sedona and the best food I had was what I had made.
Shelleyanne at 4:25PM on 05/17/09
I grew up in Boulder and spent a lot of my wayward youth in Denver before moving to NY.
One of my favorite sushi restaurants is in Denver, Sushi Den, if you find yourself there at night, it's really delicious and inventive.
Boulder is starting to have some really world-class food as well - Frasca (where I haven't eaten yet, but really want to) and The Kitchen is very good, very locally focused. Lamb and Bison are always a good choice in CO. And the farmer's market there on Wed. / Sat. is lovely - If you're going by in the afternoon the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House is absolutely beautiful and serves very good tea and pretty decent food as well.
rgolightly at 8:43PM on 05/17/09
This is all extremely helpful. Thanks, all--and keep 'em coming, please!
maxcriden at 10:27PM on 05/17/09
In Vegas there is so much to choose from anymore, it's ridiculous. Celeb chefs are the name of the game in Vegas these days, and they have the best of the market to choose from. As far as produce, meat and seafood goes, they pretty much get first pick of the country flown in daily since they have so much casino money to play with, so it is worth it to splurge on a chef who knows how to make the most of the offerings.
Mario Batali is one such chef, and his restaurants in the Venetian are a great choice. B&B is more upscale and the food is superb. The seating is tight and the music is alternative rock cranked too loud, which is odd, but the terrific food and the banter with your neighboring diners makes it more than worth enduring. His enoteca in the Venetian's shopping galleries has a lovely ambiance with pseudo al fresco dining under the faux sky, and a lower price point.
Craftsteak (Tom Collicchio) in the MGM Grand is wonderful if you want great beef (Kobe, Wagyu). The rest of the menu at Craftsteak is wonderful, as well. Also in the MGM is Joel Robuchon - both the Atelier and the flagship restaurant - a little taste of Paris. Another cool thing about the MGM is that they have ongoing live lion shows in the casino throughout the day, free of charge.
I could go on, but I don't want to overwhelm. Enjoy your journey, and your stay in L.A.!
Cheers,
~ Paula
Paula Maack at 4:12AM on 05/18/09
Rockford, Illinois has a great selection of restaurants to choose from, so it really depends on what kind of experience you're looking for.
If you want fast food, you have to check out Beef-A-Roo, which is a locally-owned fast food restaurant with 7 locations in the region. Beef-A-Roo is famous for its burgers and cheese fries, but they also offer wraps, salads, soups, baked potatoes and more!
Anderson Japanese Gardens now has a restaurant on-site, so you can enjoy an Asian-fusion meal in a dining space overlooking one of the top Japanese gardens in the nation, then purchase some Asian-inspired souvenirs in the gift shop.
Since you're making a road trip, you might enjoy Kegels Harley Diner, located inside Kegel Harley Davidson-Buell, the world's oldest family-owned Harley dealership. You'll get an all-American meal there, with chili dogs, burgers and more!
If you want to enjoy some fine-dining, you have to check our Josef of Barbados. Renowned Austrian chef Josef Schwaiger offers fine continental dining inspired by Barbados, featuring a seafood and oyster bar with more than 15 offerings nightly and Euro-style preparations of duck, rack of lamb and aged beef.
If you like Swedish pancakes, you have to try Stockholm, which is famous for its Swedish pancakes with Lingonberries. Prices are extremely affordable, while helpings are very generous!
These are just a few of the great restaurants in Rockford, Illinois. Check out http://gorockford.com for a full list of dining options, or call us as 800.521.0849 for some more recommendations!
Mika Doyle
Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
gorockford at 10:03AM on 05/18/09
Omaha-Johnnies Cafe, Great old fashion steak house by the old stock yards. Great setting and fabulous steaks. Bohemian Cafe, Great eastern European food, a must for anybody going thru Omaha.
smokey07 at 10:38AM on 05/18/09
@Shellyanne - I live 40 minutes north of Sedona in Flagstaff, holler on SE next time you head down that way and I can recommend some good eats in Flagstaff. It's limited, but there are some pretty tasty spots if you know where to go. As for in Sedona itself, I'm not much help aside from pointing you to the New Frontiers for yummy cheese and super-yuppy-hippy-organic snacks.
joyyy at 12:09PM on 05/18/09
Ooh, mention of breakfast makes me also recommend Ann Sather in Chicago. Brilliant cooked breakfast (in the Swedish style) and amazing cinnamon rolls and pastries to take away as well.
http://www.annsather.com/
NotAmerican at 2:02PM on 05/18/09