Eating Tours - New Feature

We just launched a new feature on the web site that many of you will like.  Check out http://www.roadfood.com/EatingTours/

Here you will see a list of a couple dozen recommend eating tours complete with photos, maps and overviews.  We also included links to the upcoming and recently completed eating tours discussed in the discussion forums.

We hope this will be The Guide to the very best examples of legendary regional dishes.

What an excellent idea and feature.  Thanks!

Stephen, this is awesome!  Thank you so much!

If you are soliciting ideas, I think Cincinnati chili parlors would be a good candidate for this.

The one that I am putting at top of my list  is the Lobster Roll tour

Pretty slick feature, Stephen!
 
Now we need Roadfooders to flesh out some of the categories with more Official Formal Reviews!

Greymo


The one that I am putting at top of my list  is the Lobster Roll tour

I have hit almost all the places on that list...not on one tour...and there isn't a bad one in the mix!


I love this new addition.

Stephen, how would I find the link from the home page if this thread eventually fades away?

billyboy


Stephen, how would I find the link from the home page if this thread eventually fades away?

Good question!  We are in the process of updating the navigation to the site so we can support more additions.  I thought about holding back the Eating Tour announcement until the nav was complete, but I got to excited...

Stephen-A really good idea!
              If I may be so bold:a few other tour ideas-
              Florida grouper sandwiches
              NC Eastern-style bbq
              NC Piedmont-style bbq
              SC mustard-based bbq
              LA crawfish boiling points
              CT pizzas
              There are many other tours that I'm sure other roadfoodies will chime in on.I believe this goes to the very core of what Roadfood is about.Great job.

If someone would help me out with the format (google maps,etc.) I would be more than happy to put together a list of crawfish boiling points in SW Lousiana.I have the places I just need a little tech help.Thanks,Mudbug

Some more food for thought (hehe):

-Brooklyn Hot Roast Beef sandwiches
-Massachusetts North Shore Roast Beef sandwiches
-Kentucky Hot Browns
-St. Louis Slingers
-Cornell chicken restaurants
-Chicken Riggies restaurants in central NY
-Syracuse, NY Frettas (mixed omelettes)
-Utica/Rome, NY Tomato pie joints
-New York City bagel shops
-New Jersey Italian hot dogs
 
Man, I am seriously hungry right now!!

buffetbuster


If you are soliciting ideas, I think Cincinnati chili parlors would be a good candidate for this.

We are soliciting ideas, and it is terrific to hear how well this is being received.  As you can imagine, the eating tours currently listed is a fraction of what could be a comprehensive guide.  Michael and I will be posting updates regularly and probably basing them on your suggestions.  Thanks for your feedback.

  Nice,Nice,Nice!  Thank you.

Excellent new feature!

Please allow me to suggest additional tour ideas (perhaps some obvious ones):

Kansas City Barbecue Tour
Chicago Hot Dog Tour
Chicago Pizza (Thin & Pan) Tour
Chicago Ethnic Neighborhood Tour
Detroit Coney Island Tour
Twin Cities Jucy Lucy Tour
Twin Cities Walleye Tour
Wisconsin Supper Club Tour

Thanks for this valuable new resource!

Buddy

mudbug


If someone would help me out with the format (google maps,etc.) I would be more than happy to put together a list of crawfish boiling points in SW Lousiana.I have the places I just need a little tech help.Thanks,Mudbug

The locations have to be those that have official Roadfood.com reviews.  Look at the list of Roadfood.com restaurants in Louisiana, and then pick them from that list.

MiamiDon-Why would the list have to be culled from "official Roadfood reviews"?Just asking. Mudbug

Glad to see Iowa represented with loosemeats!

How about a HEART OF THE NATION BREADED TENDERLOIN Tour? I wonder who could organize this?

This is a great new feature that many roadfooders, myself included, will find useful. Many thanks, Roadfood team!

Stephen -

This is a strong addition to the site!  Great idea and even greater execution! 

At some point, you may want to consider an initial code or city/state name before the Tour Name.  An example of one thread I always reference as my son attend college in St. Louis is buffetbuster's Snoots, Slingers and Saints.  While a great reference, the uninitiated my not recognize it fully by name.  Perhaps the 2-letter state id as in MO - Snoots,... might provide a good way for quick reference.

The states could then be alphabetized which would cluster all same state data.

Love the concept!  Thanks!

A Kentucky "Hot Brown" tour!
 
An Indiana-Kentucky fried chicken tour! 

Oh- you all know my favorite tours

1- The Boston Cod Cake, Baked Beans and Brown Bread Tour
aka the "only the tourist traps serve this tour" conducted by former poster Lucky Bishop
2- The Minnesota Hot Dish and Swedish Meatballs Tour
aka the "it never existed tour" conducted by Davydd
3- The "conflicting version" Iowa Chop Tour
aka "there are still Iowa Chops all over Iowa bigger than my behind  tour" conducted by former poster Lleechef
aka "I looked  all over and couldn't find them tour " conducted by Amy of Ayersian
4- The Colorado Buffalo and Rocky Mountain Oyster Tour
aka "we're known for more than this tour"
5- The Southern California Cobb Salad, Smoothie and Wacky Sushi Roll Tour
aka "yuppie food served all over the country tour"  aka "the no big whoop tour" oh, we'll let Enginecapt and Jonjax71 co-coordinate this tour
6- The Ancient History, Touristy  Extremely Sparse and Few and Far Between NYC Jewish Deli Tour
aka "the hundreds and hundreds of NYC Jewish Deli Tours frequented by young local Jewish Folks tour" conducted by Bruce Bilmes
-
but the very  best tour would be the
7- The Boise Basque Tour
aka "you have no idea what you're talking about- the Basque Influence is only a very very small part of Boise..................................................... until the Sterns Validated it a few  years later tour" conducted by former poster Peachpie 9



I can't help it, I'm a playful sarcastic mood today!
(Yes this is meant to be funny!) although I still would like the idea of having these tours

How about the Places So Obscure They Only Exist in Dale's Mind Tour?  :)

Great idea Stephen!

mudbug


MiamiDon-Why would the list have to be culled from "official Roadfood reviews"?Just asking. Mudbug

Follow the link, and look at the Self-Guided Eating Tours.  All of the 26 tours listed are compilations of Roadfood.com official reviews.
 
The five groups at the top of the page, Upcoming/Recent Community Eating Tours are links to get-together forum threads.  We've always had and done that.  Nothing new, and no special software for that.

 Let's not forget the cheapest,most heartbreaking tour... The TTM Non-Tour! 

And you're still hungry at the end of that one. :)

Stephen-Perhaps I should address this to you.Is this only concerned with restaurants that have already been "officially" reviewed in Roadfood?If this were the case then a tour of Louisiana boiling points,for example, would be confined to one spot:a visit to D.I.'s Restaurant (which is more of a Cajun restaurant than a crawfish boiling point).When I think of "tours",I'm thinking more of  itineraries of places to go rather than an organized "meet and greet".What's your thinking?

mudbug


Stephen-Perhaps I should address this to you.Is this only concerned with restaurants that have already been "officially" reviewed in Roadfood?If this were the case then a tour of Louisiana boiling points,for example, would be confined to one spot:a visit to D.I.'s Restaurant (which is more of a Cajun restaurant than a crawfish boiling point).When I think of "tours",I'm thinking more of  itineraries of places to go rather than an organized "meet and greet".What's your thinking?

Mudbug, the eating tours are based on existing restaurants on the Roadfood site, but it's easy to create a new place, so anything is possible.

The tours are classified in two different ways - "routes" and "points."  Routes are itineraries that can be accomplished in a day or two and show a lot of diversity, while Points are more like the "best of."   The possibilities are endless - for example, we could create a "points" map that shows all the places Man Vs. Food visited last year.

Nancypalooza


How about the Places So Obscure They Only Exist in Dale's Mind Tour?  :)

Great idea Stephen!

That would actually go hand in hand with the "places that used to be in the PRE WEBSITE
Roadfood books tour"

of course under self guided tours should be a North jersey hot dog tour and a central /south jersey hot dog tour as well!! A nyc burger tour would be scrumptious as well as A Pizza tour of the 5 boroughs!! Joe and Pats staten island is where id start. It could kind of mimmic the New York Marathon in which order you traveled!!

Oh 2 more I just thought of. How bout Eating your way around Baltimore and an I-95 tour from New york all the way to Florida!!

I like the arrangement by highway concept. We use the guidebook for I-75 a lot when we head south on that road. We used to use some of the Rt 66 guides when we drove west, but finding hard copy that is up-to-date with the development along I-44/40 is hard to do.

Any guides more than 5 or 6 years old suffer the risk of a possible severe case of "TTM Schedule Failure" in several of their locations.

Just a great idea, especially since I still have to schedule my summer vacations.  Now I have something to plan around. Thanks.

Eating tour is really tempting and awesome. This is going to provide food lovers with wider and clear options. Great going!!!

Good Topic!