NEW POSTERS! Introduce yourselves!

Welcome bluetick! I had a feeling you would be a fellow Tennessean when I saw your name...

I don't know how I came across this site, but I'm glad I did! My wife, Linda, and I are empty nesters living in central VA. (rural Powhatan County 35mi west of Richmond). We like to travel, eat, cook, drink (Linda's the wino and I'm the cocktailian). I look forward to getting to know this community. Great folks and great fun.
Frank

quote:

Originally posted by fcbaldwin

I don't know how I came across this site, but I'm glad I did! My wife, Linda, and I are empty nesters living in central VA. (rural Powhatan County 35mi west of Richmond). We like to travel, eat, cook, drink (Linda's the wino and I'm the cocktailian). I look forward to getting to know this community. Great folks and great fun.
Frank

Frank: Welcome. Look at the Shaken, Not Stirred thread for some good cocktail info: http://roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1901

Hey all,

I am fairly new to roadfood.com but have really enjoyed it so far. My wife and I usually ask the local folks where they like to eat and have discovered some really good places to dine at. We plan to go back up to Ashboro NC soon so I can do a proper review on a locally owned place called America's Roadhouse on 64. Always had great food and really good prices.

Dennis

Love ROADFOOD, love the Sterns, and LOVE FOOD here in Boyce, LA (just moved fr/Natchitoches). Population of Boyce is 3 (or so, counting the town dog), NO PLACE to eat (except my mother's house in the next block!). We like Red's Ribs in Natchitoches. The GOOD cajun places are further south, but seafood is fine and catfish is better! (See Robbie G's and West Side BarBQ in Alexandria!)

Now that is what I call small town living!

Hello! I just found this site and am so impressed! I wish I'd have found it long ago. My husband and I travel the country with our RV for his job since we are now empty nester's. (Yep, the son is in college..far away). I'm originally from a very small town in Southern Illinois and hubby is from Lexington, KY. We both love to try new hometown restaruants when we pull into a new area. Looks like we'll be on the road again tommorrow.......so who knows where we'll be next...

Indiana today....??? tommorrow

Happy travels!

quote:

Originally posted by Grampy

quote:

Originally posted by fcbaldwin

I don't know how I came across this site, but I'm glad I did! My wife, Linda, and I are empty nesters living in central VA. (rural Powhatan County 35mi west of Richmond). We like to travel, eat, cook, drink (Linda's the wino and I'm the cocktailian). I look forward to getting to know this community. Great folks and great fun.
Frank

Frank: Welcome. Look at the Shaken, Not Stirred thread for some good cocktail info: http://roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1901

Thanks Grampy! I'm headed over to the "Shaken, Not Stirred" right now. Is it cocktail hour yet??
Frank

As the song goes "IT's 5 o'clock somewhere"

Hello fellow Roadfooder's. My name is Gary and I am now back in Pennsylvania Dutch country where I grew up. I joined the U.S.Navy in 1961 hoping to become a cook but that never worked out. I spent the next 22 years mostly in the Western Pacific on ships and shore duty. Retired in '83 then spent the next 18 years working for Uncle Sam in Hawaii and Japan. I love to travel the USA now that I am back. This website is great for planning some week or so trips. Hope to be able to contribute some reports some day.

Welcome Gary! You have a lot of great roadfood in PA Dutch country! Be sure and tell us about it!

Hey everyone,
I'm a little late on the introduction game, but I'm not a big fan of small talk chit-chat. I'm probably a baby here (21), but I'm a serious foodie. I found this site by reading a review of the Sterns' book Road Food and thought it sounded interesting. I like the forums as they are a good source for both giving and getting advice. I'm a college student originally from a small town in Orange County, New York; I now reside in Albany. I am a mostly vegetarian these days. So a question for you veterans of the forums: why all the northerner/vegetarian bashing? Anyway, I've had fun thus far at the site.

Pay no attention to all those unreconstructed rednecks who frequent these forums - except when they're talking BBQ and other good parts of the pig.

Albany/Schenectady area, to my knowledge, is a culinary desert now-a-days. When we lived there in the late 50's there were great, Italian and German restaurants and Irish bars. With the exception of a very nice upscale restaurant on lower State Street (sorry, can't name it)
I don't know any place to eat in the area.

Keep us posted with what you find - it's an area that must have some good places - we just don't know them...

quote:

Originally posted by seafarer john

Pay no attention to all those unreconstructed rednecks who frequent these forums - except when they're talking BBQ and other good parts of the pig.

Albany/Schenectady area, to my knowledge, is a culinary desert now-a-days. When we lived there in the late 50's there were great, Italian and German restaurants and Irish bars. With the exception of a very nice upscale restaurant on lower State Street (sorry, can't name it)
I don't know any place to eat in the area.

Keep us posted with what you find - it's an area that must have some good places - we just don't know them...

Lower State Street--sounds like Jack's Oyster House, an Albany landmark! I've been there once myself and found it to be excellent. There are more than a few great places in the Albany area, if you know where to look. Maybe I'll start my own thread?

Thanks for the welcome!

Hello everyone. My name is Jim, been reading Roadfood for awhile and just started posting. I live in Eugene, Oregon but started out on the east coast. Great salsa here, but I still long for a good cheesesteak, a peanutbutter kandycake, and a decent slice of pizza. I"m a card carrying member of the REDSOX nation and firmly believe that this is the year. 'Course I said that last year , too. My partner and I are on a perennial search for the best bar/tavern food we can find and consult Roadfood whenever we go anywhere. This year we're off to Albuquerque and San Francisco and as many minor league baseball games I can convince Megan to go to. Good to be here. JAMESB

Questions from another lurking newbie.. We are contemplating a trip to Topsail Island this summer. We are from the NE Ohio area & usually go to the OBX but wait until next year to go back there due to all of the damage from Isabel. Can anyone point out the places to avoid and which to go out of our way to find in & around Topsail? Any comments on the general Topsail area would also be appreciated.

Hi everyone. I'm a longtime fan of the Stern's and recently found this site by accident. I was born and raised in San Francisco, and like a lot of you, am a diehard foodie. You'd know this by looking at my vacation photos. My wifes' rolls of film have the usual shots of Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower,the Colosseum and the like, whereas mine are nothing but farmer's markets, taco stands, fishmongers, gelaterias and donut shops.Great info here on this site. Anyone heading to the Bay Area, drop me a line!

My name is Louis Hatchett. I have been a daily reader of the posts on this site since 2000. I've just enjoyed absorbing all the vast culinary information that is in such abundance here. There really is not much to say after I've digested everyone's comments.

I have been a fan of the Sterns ever since I read the 1992 edition of "Roadfood," and it led me to write my first book, the biography of Duncan Hines, who before his name was bought by Procter and Gamble in 1956 was primarily known as America's first national restaurant critic. You might say Hines was the original road food warrior; he led a national campaign to clean up America's restaurants and is responsible for the natural acceptance of restaurants that we share today. Before he came along in 1936, more people died each year from restaurant food poisoning than they did from hit and run accidents.

I think the biography would be of great interest to "roadfooders" who, in the spirit of Duncan Hines, like to zip up-and-down the highways looking for the next culinary oasis.

If anyone is interested to learn more, I'd be happy to to discuss Duncan Hines with them. There are several of his recommended restaurants that are still around 45 years after his death.

Jane and Michael Stern gave the biography a plug some years ago on this site, as well as the two edited reprints of Duncan Hines' cookbooks that followed (which feature recipes from the restaurants he recommended), and I thank them here for that kindness.

For more information, look my name up on Amazon.com.

As to where I go to eat. Once a week I go to the Bon Ton Mini Mart in Henderson, Kentucky, where I live. They have some of the best fried chicken I've ever eaten. Their version of this Southern dish is not the usual recipe that you normally find in restaurants. Their version presents the taste buds with an unusual, salty, flavor-packed treat that'll have you licking the bones and begging for more. For more information, read Jane and Michael's review of the restaurant on this site, or read their article about the Bon Ton's taste treasure in the July 2000 edition of Gourmet magazine.

Another restaurant that I've not seen discussed here is "Charlie's Steak House," located just south of the Interstate 24 and US-41-A exit. It is on the periphery of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The cut of meat there that you must eat is the Porterhouse steak. But don't go on Monday; they are usually out of that cut until Tuesday. The waitress told me they sell out of Porterhouses every Saturday night.

I know a good deal about the restaurants in western Kentucky and southern Indiana, and I can comment about those intelligently.

Louis,
Welcome to the site. As a reasonably close neighbor we try to get down to Henderson for the Blues Festival each June. We will get some of the Bon Ton's Chicken when Bushie comes up this June. Are you a fan of the Moonlite over in Owensboro?
Keep giving us the info on your area, Please !!

Louis, I'm new here but I guess I'm the first to read your intro this morning. Welcome to the Roadfood site! Your work is facinating and I will be looking up your book. You mentioned that the Hines biography is your first book. Have you written others? I'll be watching for your postings about any of the restaurants that you wish to talk about.

Frank

Oops...I'll answer my own question about other books...I see that you've written some Hines cookbooks... Thanks!

Mr. Mayor, when you and Bushie come to the Blues Festival in Henderson, Kentucky in June, I'd be happy to meet you both. (Or anyone else, for that matter.) The Bon Ton Mini Mart can be a little difficult to find, so it'd be my pleasure to introduce you to it.

Having said that, it would be better to go on a Friday. The Bon Ton changes its fry oil on Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning. The chicken is good, but its full impact on the tongue is best enjoyed when the oil that it's cooked in is at least a day old. Don't ask me why. This is just what I've discovered through trial and error.

Another reason to go on Friday is due to the delicate culinary nature of the Bon Ton's fried chicken. For it to be fully enjoyed, it needs to be immersed in a special solution at least 24 hours which enables its salty flavor to penetrate clear to the bone.

When the Bon Ton is extremely busy (e.g., Friday evenings), demand sometimes exceeds their expectations and forces them to serve chicken that hasn't quite gone through the complete 24 hour immersion.

Once you become acquainted with the technical challenges that faces the Bon Ton's specialty, you realize why there are very few restaurants preparing chicken this way.

The only other restaurant that prepares it this way is Mr. D's on South Green Street in Henderson, Kentucky. They have the Col. Jim's Fried Chicken recipe. The only problem with their version is that they deep fry their chicken parts hours ahead of time and serve it three minutes after it's been ordered. It tastes greasy. Bon Ton's fried chicken, by comparison, tastes fresh, because IT IS: it takes 22 minutes to cook.

Again, the pleasure of introducing you to the Bon Ton is all mine.

As to your question, Mr. Mayor, concerning the Moonlite Inn in Owensboro, Kentucky: Yes, I go there frequently--several times a year. I don't know which is better, the sliced barbecue mutton, the chopped barbecue mutton, the pork, the ribs, etc. But I particularly like their version of creamy white corn. All the other vegetables are superb, but that corn is in a class by itself. I'll be at the Moonlite in May after I've stuffed myself all day at the Barbecue Festival.

As to other types of barbecue in the western Kentucky area--west of Owensboro: Thomason's Barbecue in Henderson, Kentucky (on Atkinson Street) is OK; it's not bad, but nothing to break down the door.

I prefer to go 15 miles west of Henderson on U.S. 60 to Waverly, Kentucky to Peak Brothers Barbecue. Their version of mutton (the meat of choice in these parts) has quite a bit of heat. Hot sauce is not needed. (But whatever you do, DON'T drink the iced tea. Opt for a soft drink, that is unless you love the thrill of gagging.)

Further west along U.S. 60, after you've gone through Morganfield and Sturgis, Kentucky, you come to Sullivan, Kentucky. There you will find Trackside Barbecue. Most any kind of barbecue will be enjoyed there, regardless of the type of meat, because you are about to leave the barbecued mutton belt.

To anyone who is in these parts, Peak Brothers Barbecue and Trackside Barbecue are the two in western Kentucky west of Owensboro that I would seek out.

Frank,

Yes, that Duncan Hines biography was the first book I had written by myself. I had written four others previously with another person. Within the next eleven months, three other books were published. And I'll have others published before too long.

If you're interested in the Duncan Hines books (biography and Duncan Hines cookbooks), see my website,

http://www.louishatchett.com

and click on the book that interests you. You'll be taken to the publisher's website where you can also see writing samples and recipes from the books as well as view additional information.

I think a historical interest in the restaurants that Americans have enjoyed in the past--that are still around--make our journeys along the road more interesting. Some may even want to seek out the restaurants that Duncan Hines sought out in the 1930s.

Many of the restaurants that Duncan Hines recommended from the 1930s through the 1950s are still around. Some are just as fabulous as the day he walked through their doors. Others have changed ownership so many times and/or suffered subsequent neglect that they are not even a ghost of their former incarnations. Still others have so gone to seed that it's not even safe to venture inside.

What's still around that's worth seeking out? I can name many restaurants, but one of his favorites was both a restaurant and an inn: The Lowell Inn in Stillwater, Minnesota, located just a few miles east of Minneapolis. You can view it at the link below and see why Hines was so charmed by it.

http://www.lowellinn.com/

Another Hines recommended restaurant is one that the Sterns have included on this site: Stone's Restaurant in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Wrote Hines in his 1936 review of this restaurant in "Adventures in Good Eating": "Don't be dismayed by the obscure location--almost under a viaduct "down by the winegar woiks." One bite of "Queenie's" angel food pie--and you won't care where you're eating. The restaurant is unpretentious but for fifty years Stone's has been searched out by transients." In later editions of this famous self-published restaurant guidebook (which sold in the millions for over 25 years) Hines swooned over Stone's "mile-high lemon pie."

If you have a particular question concerning Hines relating to a certain state, email me at: lbhatch@henderson.net

Welcome to all the folks in the above list ..We hope you find a home here at the Roadfood site. Jamesb, 8K,Hongry Dog, If you ever head for the Heart of the Ohio Valley let us know, there're plenty of good places to eat within a hundred miles of here...or so.

Louis we will stay tuned. I have to go back over my notes for the area west of Henderson. We have stopped at a couple of places and found pretty good Que! Probably the ones you named.
More to follow when the Bushmaster settles his plans.

quote:

Originally posted by Louis


As to where I go to eat. Once a week I go to the Bon Ton Mini Mart in Henderson, Kentucky, where I live.

I know a good deal about the restaurants in western Kentucky and southern Indiana, and I can comment about those intelligently.

Hi Louis...untill we sold the house and took up the RV lifestyle we lived just north of you up near Vincennes. How about the "Haub House?

quote:

Originally posted by meowzart

Or do you have sources for Brit products over here?

Here are a few I've found:

• http://www.britishdelights.com/index.htm
• http://www.caledoniankitchen.com/catalog/index.php?ref=1&affiliate_banner_id=2
• http://www.irishgrub.com/
• http://piccadillypies.com/
• http://www.wisechoiceuk.com/default.asp
• http://www3.mailordercentral.com/mustardmuseum/departments.asp?dept=33

Louis, Does your knowledge of Indiana restaurants stretch to Bloomington? I'll be attending my niece's graduation from IU in a few weeks. I hate to waste a meal at any old place, when I could be at someplace worthwhile.

RVlifestyle,

I've been to the Haub Steak House many times over the past 30 years. The Haub Steak House to my knowledge is the premiere place in the Evansville, Indiana area for quality steaks. For those who might want to make a note of it if you happen to be in the area at dinner time, the restaurant is located about 25 miles north of Evansville in Haubstadt, Indiana. The address: Haub Steak House, Main & Haub, Haubstadt, IN 47639; Phone: (812) 768-6462

Signman, It's been a five years since I was last in Bloomington. My impression then was that the restauraunt scene in Bloomington was so fluid that it could change rapidly from year to year. So I'm probably not the best person to ask this question. You might want to check the "Where Should I Eat" forum for suggestions for the Bloomington area.

Having said that, there is a restaurant, not listed on this site, that is about an hour or so northeast of Bloomington in the tiny town of Morristown, Indiana called The Kopper Kettle. Jane and Michael Stern listed it in their 1997 book "Eat Your Way Across the U.S.A." In my book that's recommendation enough to check it out. I was there in 1999 and this restaurant has got to be seen to be believed. It is one eccentric looking place, both inside and outside. Words fail to describe it adequately. Someone who has a digital camera should go up there and take pictures of it and review it here. They are closed on Mondays. They are famous for their skillet fried chicken. If you have time, I'd suggest you check it out and report your fresh culinary investigation for the rest of us.
The address and phone number: Kopper Kettle Inn, 135 East Main Street, Morristown, IN 46161; Phone: (765) 763-6767.

Was poking around tonight and noticed this thread and I don't think I ever "properly" introduced myself. I grew up in South Jersey where I could be best described as a "picky" eater. As the youngest of five kids spread over 20 years my parents didn't fight me too much. Dinners were always a special time in our household and I have fond memories of eating with my brothers and parents or going to the HoJo's in Willingboro, NJ for the all-you-can-eat fish fry.

My love of and interest in food really took off when I was interning for a drug company and traveled the country attending food/health journalism conferences and conventions, talking with people about the then-emerging research on the benefits of fish oil, etc. Some of the folks I would see at these conventions started trying to expand my culinary horizons and that was how I got interested in cooking and different types and styles of food.

I started The Hungover Gourmet as a column in a film magazine back in the 1990s (the first topic was White Castle, how appropriate) and the column grew into its own newsletter in 1997. I've published seven issues so far with #8 on its way this spring.

My wife's family owned and operated a restaurant on Long Beach Island in New Jersey for over 40 years, but they sold it about three years ago. Working from home gives me the opportunity to cook dinner most days, so I get to experiment and try new recipes and combinations. My favorite type of cooking is grilling and my favorite food is chicken.

Had a great time at last weekend's meet & eat and can't wait for the upcoming Cheesesteak Tour!