Road Trip! Where's the best food between Boston and San Fran?
Serious Eaters, I need your help.
Come September, my sister and I are embarking on the mother of all road trips: Boston to San Francisco, 2+ weeks, stopping to eat wherever we want.
As an East Coast girl, I'll be the first to admit I have a shameful lack of knowledge of... well, pretty much everything West of NYC. But that's all about to change!
This is your opportunity: where do I go to taste the very best food in the great and wonderful U.S.A? I can go literally ANYWHERE, so get creative! Have you found the best corn in the world at a roadside stand in the middle of nowhere? Does your town have the most underappreciated burgers West of the Mississippi? Do you and your mother bake incredible pies from scratch at a diner off Rt-66? You do? Tell me about them!
Thanks for your help everyone, I can't wait to hear what you all have to say!
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19 Comments:
"As an East Coast girl, I'll be the first to admit I have a shameful lack of knowledge of... well, pretty much everything West of NYC. But that's all about to change!"
First off, I admire your honesty and if I may, could I ask what age group do you and your sis fall into? 20-30, 30-40 or.......? Reason I ask is my cousin was up in New Hampshire a while ago on business and while having drinks one evening with his customer and the customer's brother who happened to be a 50 year old dentist. At one point the dentist started asking my cousin questions about where he was from. My cousin was from St. Louis and started telling the guy a few things about his home town. My cousin swears this is the truth.....the guy ask what kind of houses do you have out there? Are any of them brick? I think the guy admitted he had never been out of New England.
Anyhow......
Phili for cheese steak sandwiches
Cinci for skyline chili
Chicago for deep dish pizza
St. Louis's Hill district for a lot of good Italian dining.
Kansas City for BBQ and steaks
BTW, pack a hardy meal in a cooler for the drive from Kansas City to Denver.
Denver has some good steak houses
West to Salt Lake City....don't know...never been there.
Plenty of very good restaurants in San Fran......take money.
On the way home, drop down to SoCal fo some bean sprouts, tofoo and avocado smeared on most everything.
The Southwestern states all have good Mex and Tex-Mex food
New Orleans is a must for good food.....hope you have some money left.
Geogia and the Carolinas have great fried chicken, BBQ and any other comfort food you can think of.
Up the East Coast, all kinds of great sea food choices.
Be careful ....have a great time and be sure to report back here when you get home...a trip you won't forget.
tusti at 6:56PM on 08/08/09
Do you have a specific timeline/number of days to travel or do you have unlimited time? Also is it 2 weeks to go there and back or is it a one-way trip?
I ask because the husband and I did Toronto to Golden,B.C. and back in 13 days and there was NO time to go anywhere off the designated route. We had many a 16 hour driving day where two out of our three meals were eaten in the car to avoid excess stops.
lexophile at 8:43PM on 08/08/09
WOW - that's a lotta ground to cover! Can't wait to hear all about it. Enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
To make any kind of informed recommendations, it would be helpful to know what cities are on your route.
therealchiffonade at 6:55AM on 08/09/09
if you come through Kansas City, go to Arthur Bryant's for BBQ...it's not that far off the interstate either.... it is in a shady part of town, but they have someone who watches the cars.... 1727 Brooklyn Avenue, K.C., MO,
Very good!
Alm25 at 10:29AM on 08/09/09
I wish I could find my journal of restaurants and sketches when xbf and I went xcountry along the north (Honolulu-Seattle-Vancouver, BC-Calgary-Jackson, WY-NY/NJ) the first time ~15 years ago when I was in my mid-20s! We did this over a span of 3 months (July through September), and still felt rushed! In October, my family visited and extended my travels to Nova Scotia-PEI-New Brunswick.
This is common sense, but I'll throw this out anyway...don't forget to take a small cooler to throw in the back seat for your market finds; take water for you and your car; antifreeze; lock your doors; and don't forget to call home in regular intervals. In hindsight, I feel bad for not contacting anyone back home until 3 months later, when I found a city to live in.
As for Cleveland, my top recommendation is the Flying Fig. It is my favorite restaurant because of their seasonal flavor and textural combinations at moderate prices, plus they use local resources as much as possible, with amazing service. The added bonus is that it's next to the West Side Market.
If you would like something more casual within the immediate vicinity (as in 30 seconds from each other), Nate's is the place with excellent Lebanese food (cash only). Their fattoush is wonderful. For Cuban sandwiches, Lelolai is great. For Cambodian and Cambodian-style Vietnamese food, Phnom Penh is awesome (cash only). My recommendation would be to try their beef chha kreoung ma rass prowt. I probably shouldn't suggest this restaurant (don't want you to get in trouble for DWI), but Great Lakes Brewery is in the vicinity as well. There are also a couple of hookah establishments that offer Mediterranean/Middle Eastern buffets.
However, if you like Michael Symon, his nearby restaurants are Lolita and Lola. Lolita is more relaxed and my preference, since it was the original location for Lola, and in my neighborhood. :P Although, amongst the restaurants in my neighborhood, I recommend Parallax and Fahrenheit.
My favorite burger place in town is Brown Bag Burgers in N Olmsted (west side suburb of CLE). Their fries are great and the buns are fresh. The Treehugger burger is awesome (giant portobello mushroom), as well as their mushroom bisque.
In Bristol, TN, there's a chain called Pal's that serves great burgers, too.
If you happen to travel through Garden City, KS, Hanna's Corner has really good and inexpensive food. My 10 oz filet mignon with a thick cut of bacon wrapped around it with salad bar cost $6.50 -- 5 years ago. When I asked for rare, I got RARE.
IIRC (it's been ~15 years), we ate at Blue Lion in Jackson, WY where I had venison for the first time. The city is beautiful to sleep under the stars, with a healthy amount of independent restaurants for a town of its size, and near Grand Teton/Yellowstone National Park.
While I doubt you'll travel this far north and it'll be leaning towards fall, if you ever head up to Montana/Calgary, AB, please stop and enjoy the sunset. It is the longest, most beautiful sunset (at least during the height of summer) I've ever experienced. No joke on the moniker, Big Sky Country.
The trip will remain with you for a very long time, good times and rough. Have fun, and be careful! :)
Cassaendra at 10:50AM on 08/09/09
Sorry, I think I forgot to cap the link to Pal's in my post above.
Cassaendra at 11:04AM on 08/09/09
You should blog about your trip and chronicle your experiences and everything you eat!
yayfood at 12:04PM on 08/09/09
If you're heading west on I-70 get off at the first exit in Colorado. There's a rundown Shell gas station and attached to it is Reynaldo's Mexican Food. Go there hungry. Remember, the first exit in Colorado.
ride&cook at 12:06PM on 08/09/09
@Cass--it's totally random that you should mention Bristol. I'm from VA near the coast and Bristol was the town you hit when you were close to the western border of the state. There are two Bristols--one in TN and one in VA, right next to each other.
If you're driving through Indiana--keep driving. haha. Just kidding. If you want a burger of any type stop by Boogie Burger in the village of Broad Ripple in Indianapolis. The area is rather quaint and has a bunch of dining and shopping options as well. Great people watching as there is a trail called the Monon (not to be confused with the moron trail, but you'll likely see some of those, too) which runs through a great portion of the city and is great for walking, running, cycling, people watching, etc.
I'm a little disenchanted with the food scene here in Indy for now, but as soon as I'm out of my funk I'll post more suggestions.
wookie at 12:15PM on 08/09/09
If you're on I-80 in Indiana, and see the Calumet Ave. exit, take it towards Munster. Right on the IL/IN state line. You have your choice...stuffed pizza from Edwardo's (right off the exit) or the world's best diner-style burgers from Schoop's, on Ridge Road. Schoop's also has its own ice cream parlour.
Try a double cheeseburger (or a Mickey--single meat, double cheese) and share a basket of fries. They also do great egg salad and hot dogs. At Edwardo's, get the spinach and sausage stuffed...it's like a big calzone. Only more delicious.
NotAmerican at 1:50PM on 08/09/09
If you end up in Athens, OH try Casa Nueva (it's what my friend calls "hippie Mexican" food. So many fantastic dishes, I love it for brunch because their breakfast stuff is so interesting plus they have great lunch options)
If you need breakfast in Santa Fe, NM go to the Santa Fe Baking CO. (Best danish I've ever had! Plus they have amazing breakfast burritos)
If you're in Richmond, VA try Lulu's (for breakfast, awesomest eggs benedict ever) or Kuba Kuba (Cuban food that tastes like homemade)
gingercookiewithlime at 2:40PM on 08/09/09
Wow, thanks for the great suggestions everyone! I only wish I had time to try them all!
For those of you curious for more details, we're leaning towards a central route at the moment, so the St. Louis, Kansas City and Denver suggestions are all awesome. SLC could be the next stop, or, if we have time, we may swoop down through AZ for some of that Mexican and then drive up the pacific coast for avocado and bean sprouts. The Ohio and Indiana suggestions may also come in handy, although Wookie has me a little worried about the latter state! And @tutsi, we're both in our 20s, and thanks for the Kansas City-to-Denver note, now that you mention it, this could be the longest part of the drive. Ride&cook's Shell station Mexican should hit the spot after that.
And @lexophile and others wondering, the 2 weeks are just to drive there. I'll be flying back, while the sister stays in San Fran to start culinary school!
Thanks for all the advice Cassaendra, food-related and otherwise! Now I think I have to go to Cleveland, even if this trip doesn't make it there.
And @yayfood (i like your name) the trip chronicle will be on my blog at eatandgoseek.com. Feel free to check it out!
cupcakelust at 4:36PM on 08/09/09
@cupcakelust ... that makes much more sense. I was worried you'd be disappointed at how quickly it goes - especially if you get stuck driving all day and can't really see much. We were trying to get to Montana in time for the husband's brother's birthday so we felt very rushed.
lexophile at 10:38AM on 08/10/09
A few more Kansas/Kansas City comments. If you are like me, you can't always plan your schedule around meals. Instead of packing the cooler, I will try to give you some places across the state near I-70. Here is a website that lists some of my favorite spots: http://www.kansassampler.org/8wonders/cuisineresults.php
I have eaten at all of them except the Hays House. I can tell you they are all good and the reports about HH are excellent. Brookville Hotel, a re-creation of an old Kansas landmark is right off I-70 in Abilene and serves family style fried chicken dinners. But check the hours. They only serve lunch on the weekend and are closed on Monday and Tuesday as I recall. Both Lawrence restaurants listed are excellent. The Cozy Inn in Salina and Bobos in Topeka are good but very different burger places. Cozy Inn has the small "sliders" and Bobo's is just an old fashioned hamburger joint.
Now as to Kansas City BBQ, if you ask 50 different Kansas Citians their favorite BBQ places you would get about 65 answers. I would skip Arthur Bryants unless you are a big Calvin Trillin fan who wrote many years ago that this was the best restaurant in the world. Maybe it was then, but I think it is past its prime. But if you want to go there, you now have a choice to go to the Bryants on Brooklyn or the Bryants on the west side of KC at the Legends--I-435 and I-70--where I ate a couple of months ago. If you have time in KC, go to Oklahoma Joes or Jack's Stack. Both are a little off I-70 but the original OK Joes is in a gas station only a couple of miles south on Mission Road. Gates is a big KC chain but also, in my opinion, a better bet than Bryants. It is close to I-70 at its 12th and Brooklyn location or in KCK at 10th and State. Or you could buy a sandwich or ribs from both Gates and Bryants on Booklyn and compare for yourself.
Happy eating. Enjoy your trip!
kcgoodeats at 3:14PM on 08/10/09
Oh man, SO much fun!
Definitely visit Chicago for the deep dish pizza, hot dogs, or Italian beef sandwiches. If you're in Kansas City, try Gates for their BBQ. So delicious!
Chew on That at 6:12PM on 08/10/09
All these suggestions sound good. You should also get Michael and Jane Stern's book, "500 Things to Eat Before You Die," just published, which is a cross country survey of local American specialties.
Ortolan at 6:33PM on 08/10/09
Definitely going to Kansas City and eating as much BBQ as I can fit, and definitely buying that book! (Is Ortolan in there?)
Thanks everyone!
cupcakelust at 8:57PM on 08/10/09
My list of favorites:
Willington Pizza, Willington CT. Get the red potato pizza with bacon & broccoli (or not). It's the best white pizza in the world.
Dr. Mike's Ice Cream, Bethel CT or Newtown CT. Freshly-made ice cream and all the flavors are wonderful, especially Chocolate Lace.
Chuy's, Austin, TX. My fav is the Smoke Chicken Soft Taco.
The Salt Lick, Austin, TX. Great BBQ. I'm a fan of the brisket sandwich
Tea-licious, Marble Falls, TX. Only 2 reasons to go here: the best chicken salad and unbelievably good sweet pickles.
China Chen, San Jose CA. Noodles are their specialty. Get the shrimp wonton with noodles, it's the best you'll ever taste. At $6 a bowl (it's rather large), it's a very good deal.
Henry's Hunan, San Francisco, CA. Very popular with the locals and very very good Chinese food. I'm totally addicted to their Smoke Ham with String Beans.
Sushi Sam, San Mateo, CA. This is the real deal which is probably why it appears to be almost recession-proof right now. The owner gets fresh fish shipped daily from the Tokyo Fish Market.
AnnieNT at 3:32PM on 08/11/09
El Taco Rey in Colorado Springs, CO. Avocado Pork burritos.
pemabuk at 4:07PM on 08/14/09