2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (surrycounty)

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:45:21 GMT

Oh lordy, all those pictures....WJ, you've done it to me again. I'm not a seafood eater, but the pictures of the steaks and BBQ are making me crazy. I'm curious ( and concerned ) - the two times that I ate at Arthur Bryant's ( both in the ' 90s ), the food was fantastic. The second time I was there , with my then-girlfriend, we stuffed ourselves at lunchtime at ABs, and then we stuffed ourselves again at dinnertime at Stroud's ( guess what we had? ) - we both just about collapsed at the motel. Anyway, yours is not the only negative review of Arthur Bryant's that I've seen on the internet recently. What's going on? ( he asked nervously... ) Was it really that bad? It's really depressing to find out that such a roadfood treasure has gone downhill. I want to get back to KC in the near future, but I'm having second thoughts about going back to Bryant's. What to do, what to do....... Bob

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:32:49 GMT

Bluemaxx

I was wondering if I could have your blessing to start a new post of my own? Namely because I do not want to spoil your awesome thread but also because I have a few stories of my own.

I'm humbled sir...
You most certainly can....with the following criteria

A- No Burger Kings, McDonalds, Applebees, TGI Fridays etc, oh you get the picture

B- "My House" or actually "your house" is not one of the "best of" establishments, unless of course that's actually the name of the restaurant...

Go ahead- have at it!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (Bluemaxx)

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:14:31 GMT

[size=3 font="times new roman"]WJ – what an awesome report!! I love these kinds of posts because it makes me think about all the great (and not so great) food we’ve eaten over the past year too. Needless to say many of my favorites of 2008 are on your list as well. Also, I have some of your disappointments too. Since this year was a “slower” year for my family and our Roadfood stops, I am only going to do a Top 5. But first, I was wondering if I could have your blessing to start a new post of my own? Namely because I do not want to spoil your awesome thread but also because I have a few stories of my own.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (CajunKing)

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:17:07 GMT

WJ

What an awesome year in review!!

Buffalo Prime Rib..... oh yeah!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (ChiTownDiner)

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:26:01 GMT

wanderingjew -

Great list...I knew you were enjoying your Burt's visit, but Top 10! Buddy will be smiling big time! I really enjoyed all your comments...good, bad and ugly! Thanks as many of us use this info to plan out other trips.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (The Travelin Man)

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:34:59 GMT

One of the downsides of the both of us doing so much of this eating together is that I could probably overlap with you on five of these places. Fortunately, I had been to Johnny's several times prior, so that is one off the list, and I will use one of the remaining four for a special award. Still, we would have three overlaps that are 100% no argument.

I am not sure if this is an anomaly, but I believe that 6 (or is it 7) of your Top 10 are visits that included other Roadfooders? I wonder if company has any influence over final outcome. For that matter, I am sure if others were to contribute a Top 10 list, many who were in Mobile would likely include Wintzell's.

Great job on the final report. I am traveling today, so I am not sure if I will bring my thread to conclusion. It may be that my list brings happiness into the new year!!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:19:03 GMT

Buffetbuster, you know its a good Road Food year when Reds, Pancake Pantry and Pie Kitchen end up on my rotten Tomatoes list.
Keep in mind, they were on the list not because the food was bad, but just because I don't think they lived up to the hype

RibRater, Five Island will now be included as part of any in season visit to Maine..

Paul we had a blast in Mobile and I'm sure Memphis will be even better.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (Sundancer7)

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:38:02 GMT

WJ, I recall when we were in Mobile this past February. I also like fried oysters but l also like them raw with hot sauce. We do not have in place like Winzell's in Knoxville and that was a truly special place.

I certainly liked the deal when they gave us a good beer and a dozen on the half shell for $5.00. That was worth the drive but the BBQ we got later on was even more special.

It was great when TTM and BB also made the show. I hope Memphis will be as good this February. I still treasure our group pic with the Hawaii shirts and unexpected guest.

Paul E. Smith
knoxville, TN

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (RibRater)

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:30:13 GMT

It's been almost 8 years since we moved back south but 5 Islands was always our go to spot for great lobster when we were up there...glad to see it's still in business and doing well.

We missed Johnny's when last in Omaha for the Tom Petty concert (June?) but it's been a great stop for many years.

Fabulous report WJ (and I'm with you on the oysters...fried only)

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (buffetbuster)

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:02:41 GMT

WJ-
Excellent list and photos! I am especially happy to see Balaton getting some love, because this wonderful place deserves it. When conversations of Cleveland come up, I never hear it mentioned and I don't know why. Maybe because it isn't in downtown.

Glad to see The Wreck on the list, too. It well worth the aggravation of trying to find a place with no sign hidden in a residential neighborhood.

Your list is so good, it almost makes me forgive you for putting Pancake Pantry, Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen and Red's Eats (all three in my all-time top 10) under your disappointments. Almost!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (ellen4641)

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:13:22 GMT

great pics of your Top 10 , WJ !
Those ribs look just the way I like them ; crusty edges, but yet soft in the middle!!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:10:52 GMT

Here They Are

THE TOP 10 ROADFOOD DELIGHTS OF 2008

(Cajun King you can put down the drumsticks now!)

The Wreck- Mt Pleasant SC

Trying to find this place after a 4 hour drive from Raleigh was a bear, but well worth it. The supersized grilled shrimp was the best I ever had and the fried oysters (which are the only way I like oysters) were top notch. My only complaint was that the delicious she crab soup was only a slight notch below the one served at 82 Queen Street.

The Brick Pit- Mobile AL

This truly was the real thing. The original Dreamland in Tuscaloosa may be one of my favoriite rib joints of all time, however compared to ther outpost in Mobile, the sign at the Brick Pit says it all....

Yonah Schimmels- New York, NY

This place was truly an unexpected sleeper- Basically take out only, we came here after the Katz's deli meet up in May. I ordered the Sweet Potato Knish and the Kasha Knish to go and took it home with me back to Rhode Island. I had them the next day, the Sweet Potato Knish was really good but the Savory Kasha Knish was just utterly amazing.

(the preceding two photos are courtesy of BillyBoy from his hot dog tour in March since both your truly and The Travelin' Man happenned to forget to bring our cameras at the same time)

Five Island Lobster Company- Georgetown ME

This is the place that you can solely thank for putting Reds Eats on my rotten tomatos list.

The only thing that supercedes the amazing view

was the even more amazing lobster. Sweet nuggets of pure unadulterated bliss coupled with the cleanest steamers I ever had. A match made in heaven.

LC's Bar-B-Que- Kansas City MO

As far as I'm concerned, the best bbq I've had in Kansas City. The Burnt Ends present with the perfect balance of flavor and smoke and the golden crisp on the outside fresh cut fries were by far the best of the lot in Kansas City.

Johnny's Cafe- Omaha NE

Johnny's was by far my favorite roadfood restaurant in Omaha if not on the entire June trip. The meal started with a blue cheese salad with homemade dressing loaded with chunks of blue cheese.
The Strip Steak was perfect- well marbled, seared on the outside and slightly pink on the inside. The Hashbrowns were an excellent accompanyment although I like mine just a tad crispier.
I didn't care that the apple pie sucked

The Buckhorn Exchange- Denver CO

Each city has a dining institution, a place that will always identify with the cultural, historical and culinary roots of that particular city and rightfully so, the Buckhorn Exchange is that institution.

Everything from the Crunchy and Chewy Rocky Mountain Oysters, the hearty and smokey bean soup to the rich and tender buffalo Prime Rib was just perfect, a classic taste of the old west.

Burt's Place- Morton Grove IL
Brooklyn has Dominic DeMarco of DiFara's Pizza, Chicago (or actually suburban Morton Grove) has
"Burt" and his namesake, Burts Place. Both are true artisans and craft their work accordingly. Most people think of Chicago Deep Dish Pizza as heavy, leaden and doughy. The deep dish pizza served up at Burts" is far from it, crisp with always fresh meat n veggies with just enough cheese that it doesn't hide the nuances of the other ingredients

Al Ameer- Dearborn MI

Dearborn, just outside of Detroit, is home to the largest concentration of folks of Middle Eastern Descent in the country, therfeore most of the Middle Eastern Restaurants are top notch and Al Ameer is no exception.
Warm Fresh bread begins the meal and continues on with a salad that can only be described as "refreshing" the delicious combo of various meats on a skewer along with crispy felafel and creamy hummous complete the meal.

Balaton- Cleveland OH

Visiting Balaton was completely due to an unexpected work related trip I took to Cleveland this past fall.
Two Words- Szekely Goulash- This was an amazingly rich and hearty meal. The rich, creamy sauce and saurkraut intertwined harmoniously with the dumplings and meat. This is not something you should eat every day.
Unfortunately I did not take my camera so the following photos are not the meal I had but

are courtesy of Michael Stern from the restaurant section of the Roadfood website.

Everyone have a happy and healthy 2009

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:40:01 GMT

CajunKing

The envelope please....
And the winners are....
(Drum roll in background)

CajunKing

Your arms must be getting tired...
I hope those are drumsticks from Strouds that you're using...

This evening my friends...this evening......

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (CajunKing)

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:01:06 GMT

The envelope please....
And the winners are....
(Drum roll in background)

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:14:53 GMT

mar52

Wanderingjew, I aplaud you for giving us the worst.

I like knowing places to avoid or at least dishes to avoid.

I enjoy all of your posts so that you for 2008!

Have a Happy, Healthy 2009 along with the rest of you!

Thanks Marlene

You and everyone should have a happy fantastic 2009.

I think that tommorow it will finally be time for my "official" top 10 of 2008.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:29:30 GMT

The Travelin Man

wanderingjew

If I can't make it the first time, it will likely be years, a decade or more before I make it back (and that's if I'm ever able to make it back at all) I've been known to "cut my nose to spite my face" in the past and deliberately spend time and hundreds of dollars just to go out of my way to make it back to a place that I missed the first time. This is why it's crucial for me to Plan in Advance because the way I see it is that If I don't make it there now, I'll never make it there again.

To paraphrase a Baltimore food blogger; relax, it's only food. I am the first to admit that my "go with the flow" nature can lead to some closed restaurants or tourist spots, and it is certainly a result of my bounty of travel. Understand that when I do travel for work, my days are much more regimented. Yes, I can plan my schedule, but I have a lot less flexibility than you would think - and very little opportunity to expand my travels beyond my work territories - that is why you find an abundance of NY and TX trips, as well as an annual trip out to the pacific northwest. But, when I am on vacation - well, I am on vacation. To me, planning out every minute - and to that end, every meal - is nothing that I could ever do for an extended time. I like to sleep in some days, I like to see where the wind blows some days. Is there some compromise between the two? Sure. But, I insist that you set yourself up for far more disappointments than I do when you put such pressure on a meal to live up to whatever ideals you've built up in your head - especially when that wait is, as you say, "decades" in the making.

First of all, what the hell are you doing up at 3am! I'm already 4 hours into dreamland at that time....Easier said than done. I notice my flexibility eases based on the following criteria, how recently I visited, how frequently I visited. Obviously places I go to somewhat frequently ie Maine, Philly, Baltimore, upstate NY, Long Island, DC, and even places down south, I'll be much more flexible and be more of a "go with the flow" kind of guy versus places I rarely ever get to , ie Omaha, Denver, and any other place "out west". But it does seem like you make your rounds to certain places with much more frequency than I do. You were just in Omaha a few years back, right? Yes its only food, but keep in mind that the only time I really have a chance to eat is when I'm on vacation. I don't think anyone can appreciate what I eat when I'm home, it's for the most part, healthy and not very exiting. When were at Oklahoma Joe's, I showed Buffetbuster my daily snack, a small 290 calorie bag of peanuts (which I switch off with almonds)- real exciting you should have seen the look of "pity" in his eyes, so yes, food is everything when I travel

wanderingjew

Petrow's- Omaha NE
Unlike The Travelin Man, I'm not going to gripe about the food, if I did, then I'd have to list at least 30 other places I visited over the year, most of which were recommended by the Sterns.

The Travelin Man

Two things. I never said that the food was bad. I said it was "ordinary." It was ordinary. There was nothing exceptional about this place, except the exceptionally lousy service. For that matter, I would venture a guess that my meal was better than yours! But, it placed on my disappointment list for the lost opportunity of the meal that I know we could have had elsewhere, which would have been top notch.

If you have a list of 30 (or more) places, recommended by Jane and Michael Stern, at which you dined in this past year, that were worse than Petrow's, I'd like to see it.

Other than Petrow's, I could think of at least half a dozen (or more) other places I would have liked to check out, including Don and Millies, Louie M's, King Kong, Goldbergs, Gorats and any one of the series of cafes that served the "potato casserole dishes" that Neb Guy and Plano Jim mentioned unfortunately Italian wasn't one of them and we talked about that before we went on the trip. I live within a 3 mile radius of at least 2 dozen Italian restaurants that range from "outstanding" to "orgasmic" and funny thing is the part of Rhode Island I live in is not even that Italian!There's no such thing as "mediocre" Italian food here in Rhode Island.
As you know, Petrow's came with high recommendations from NEB GUY as well as the owner of Johnny's cafe. As we discussed before, you believe that recommendations from the Sterns almost always seem to be more reliable than recommendations from others. I've been to several hit and miss places recommended by the Sterns, but agreen in the scheme of things they've been few. I've also been to a few hit and miss places recommended by others and again they seem to be few

here is a list of Sterns reviewed places I visited in 2008 that I thought were "ok" to
just outright dissapointing, Maybe I exaggerated when I said 30, but I'm half there, although I never did say 30 places that were worse than petrow's but 30 places that were just as "ordinary"

1- Blue Willow Inn-Blue Willow GA The Chicken Dumpling Soup and Dessert were exceptional, everything else was just "ok" I think Porkbeaks agrees with me (at least regarding the soup)
2- Harold's BBQ-Atlanta GA You know I don't have to go into detail on this one
3- Dew Drop Inn-Mobile AL- Ditto
4- Bob's Clam Hut- Kittery ME- OK- But I did go off season
5- Moody's Diner- Waldoboro ME- With the exception of dessert- lackluster
6- Marcy's Diner- Portland ME- My benchmark for Pancakes has always been places like Dots and BlueBenn In Vermont, Pamelas in Pittsburgh and The Modern Diner in Pawtucket, so maybe I'm being to hard on them. I did have a good muffin and good corned beef hash there a decade ago, so maybe I ordered the wrong thing.
7- Arthur Bryants- Kansas City MO- You know I don't have to go into details. I was so dissapointed that when I do return to KC in 2010 its almost 100% likely that I will not be going back here.
8- Wayside Restaurant and Bakery- Barre VT- I love the atmosphere here- like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting, however other than Dessert, I found the food "ordinary"
9- Tony Packos- Toledo OH- Ok, this one is my fault, I ordered the Chicken Paprikash, the Chicken was tastless and dry
10- Charlie The Butcher- Buffalo NY- definetely not my fault, the roastbeef was overdone and dry
11- Pucketts- Franklin TN- Could be me, but there was nothing exciting about the chocolate chess pie
12- Homemade Pie and Icecream- Louisville KY- I thought the pies looked better than they tasted, again nothing exciting (and I went twice too)
13- Pancake Pantry- Nashville TN- I would definetely give this place another chance- again, maybe I ordered the wrong thing.
14- Sams NY System Warwick RI- Simply cannot compare to Olneyville NY System (which I think did end up in the recent roadfood book)
ok, maybe not 30, but I'm half there

wanderingjew

Red's- Wiscasset ME

Shocker, right? Actually, no. Don't get me wrong, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the quality or quanity. Standing on line at this place got me thinking, most of the hyped up New England Seafood Shacks touted here on Roadfood are geared towards Touristas, not a local in sight anywhere (except across the street laughing at us touristas). The first place I went to on this particular trip that was obviously a local's place was Moody's Diner in Waldoboro. I guess I was expecting gregorian chants and angels dancing around my head when I took my first bite into this lobster roll, it didn't happen, and it's me, I now realize, I much prefer lobster in the shell versus in the roll.

The Travelin Man

Help me out with something here. Was this place a disappointment because the food wasn't good, or because of the perception that this place caters to some tourist trade?

I'm not quite sure that I've ever seen the fascination with eating where the locals eat, because, for the most part, the locals are morons. Here, the locals pack the parking lot on any given night at Red Lobster and Olive Garden, when fresh, local seafood and very good Italian food can be had within a few blocks. Katz's Deli, Carnegie Deli, Primanti's, Dixie Crossroads, Harry Caray's and many, many more places have all been accused of being "tourist traps," but all are considered to still be serving quality meals. So, what difference does it make who is eating it? If it is the food that was a disappointment, I may have just misread your post.

You know I couldn't care less if a place is touristy. Some of the best roadfood I've had were from restaurants labeled as touristy (some would even go as far as to label them tourist traps) ie Katz's, Durgin Park, Lady and Sons etc.
I just found it amusing that there was a line literally wrapped around this place and not one person there was a local, I'll go as far as to say not one person there was from the state of Maine. Being from Rhode Island, I think I was the person who had the least distance to get there. Even the people around me who I was talking to were if I recall from NY, Connecticut and Wisconsin. I thought I indicated that with all the hype, I was not overwhelmed, and that it most likely is because of a personal preference and that I prefer lobster directly from the shell versus in a roll.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (The Travelin Man)

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:17:32 GMT

wanderingjew

If I can't make it the first time, it will likely be years, a decade or more before I make it back (and that's if I'm ever able to make it back at all) I've been known to "cut my nose to spite my face" in the past and deliberately spend time and hundreds of dollars just to go out of my way to make it back to a place that I missed the first time. This is why it's crucial for me to Plan in Advance because the way I see it is that If I don't make it there now, I'll never make it there again.

To paraphrase a Baltimore food blogger; relax, it's only food. I am the first to admit that my "go with the flow" nature can lead to some closed restaurants or tourist spots, and it is certainly a result of my bounty of travel. Understand that when I do travel for work, my days are much more regimented. Yes, I can plan my schedule, but I have a lot less flexibility than you would think - and very little opportunity to expand my travels beyond my work territories - that is why you find an abundance of NY and TX trips, as well as an annual trip out to the pacific northwest. But, when I am on vacation - well, I am on vacation. To me, planning out every minute - and to that end, every meal - is nothing that I could ever do for an extended time. I like to sleep in some days, I like to see where the wind blows some days. Is there some compromise between the two? Sure. But, I insist that you set yourself up for far more disappointments than I do when you put such pressure on a meal to live up to whatever ideals you've built up in your head - especially when that wait is, as you say, "decades" in the making.

wanderingjew

Petrow's- Omaha NE

Unlike The Travelin Man, I'm not going to gripe about the food, if I did, then I'd have to list at least 30 other places I visited over the year, most of which were recommended by the Sterns.

Two things. I never said that the food was bad. I said it was "ordinary." It was ordinary. There was nothing exceptional about this place, except the exceptionally lousy service. For that matter, I would venture a guess that my meal was better than yours! But, it placed on my disappointment list for the lost opportunity of the meal that I know we could have had elsewhere, which would have been top notch.

If you have a list of 30 (or more) places, recommended by Jane and Michael Stern, at which you dined in this past year, that were worse than Petrow's, I'd like to see it.

wanderingjew

Red's- Wiscasset ME

Shocker, right? Actually, no. Don't get me wrong, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the quality or quanity. Standing on line at this place got me thinking, most of the hyped up New England Seafood Shacks touted here on Roadfood are geared towards Touristas, not a local in sight anywhere (except across the street laughing at us touristas). The first place I went to on this particular trip that was obviously a local's place was Moody's Diner in Waldoboro. I guess I was expecting gregorian chants and angels dancing around my head when I took my first bite into this lobster roll, it didn't happen, and it's me, I now realize, I much prefer lobster in the shell versus in the roll.

Help me out with something here. Was this place a disappointment because the food wasn't good, or because of the perception that this place caters to some tourist trade?

I'm not quite sure that I've ever seen the fascination with eating where the locals eat, because, for the most part, the locals are morons. Here, the locals pack the parking lot on any given night at Red Lobster and Olive Garden, when fresh, local seafood and very good Italian food can be had within a few blocks. Katz's Deli, Carnegie Deli, Primanti's, Dixie Crossroads, Harry Caray's and many, many more places have all been accused of being "tourist traps," but all are considered to still be serving quality meals. So, what difference does it make who is eating it? If it is the food that was a disappointment, I may have just misread your post.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (mar52)

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:01:26 GMT

Wanderingjew, I aplaud you for giving us the worst.

I like knowing places to avoid or at least dishes to avoid.

I enjoy all of your posts so that you for 2008!

Have a Happy, Healthy 2009 along with the rest of you!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (ChiTownDiner)

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:49:58 GMT

Whew....I was holding my breath on our Chicago stops!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:37:40 GMT

Ok, we're getting close to the top 10 of 2008, but I thought I would keep you all in suspense for a another couple of days.....

It seems that The Travelin Man already beat me to this, but as you know there's always some bad that comes with the good...

Today's theme is Rotten Tomatoes

Bub Sweatman's- Holly Hill SC
I never made it here. Thanks to my flight which was still grounded in Baltimore, I had to be re-routed through Philly and got into Raleigh 4 hours late, although I still had the chance to get there before it closed, I didn't want to risk the possibility of arriving there and have them run out of meat.

Allen and Sons- Chapel Hill NC

I never made it here too. It's very rare I get "Travelin' Manned". Everyone here in Rhode Island always talks about "New England Weather" If you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes and it will change. Our "Travelin Friend" is just like New England weather, if he can't make it this time, just wait a few months and he'll be back. Because I don't travel for my job, I, unfortunately don't have that same opportunity. If I can't make it the first time, it will likely be years, a decade or more before I make it back (and that's if I'm ever able to make it back at all) I've been known to "cut my nose to spite my face" in the past and deliberately spend time and hundreds of dollars just to go out of my way to make it back to a place that I missed the first time. This is why it's crucial for me to Plan in Advance because the way I see it is that If I don't make it there now, I'll never make it there again. Well, it didn't work this time. I called in advance and was assured they'd be open late, I got there at least an hour or more before they were supposed to close and they were closed...Thankfully I have a reason to return to North Carolina since my good friend lives in Charlotte.

J's Oyster- Portland ME

This place wins the arrogance award of the year. Their customer service is deplorable and disgusting and apparently others have ranted on line about the same maneuver they pulled on me. It's obvious from my experience that they only care about the locals who go there to drink (not eat).

Thunderbird Inn- Broomall PA

Where's the beef?

Arthur Bryants- Kansas City MO

What a bummer, what a dissapointment, you can see The Travelin Man's thread for further details. He summed it up perfectly..

Petrow's- Omaha NE

Unlike The Travelin Man, I'm not going to gripe about the food, if I did, then I'd have to list at least 30 other places I visited over the year, most of which were recommended by the Sterns. It was ok, it wasn't bad, I've had better and much worse, however this place truly deserves THE WORST SERVICE award of the year. When we walked in, before dinner hour, there was virtually no one in the place, yet it still took forever for the waiter to take our order.
We eventually had to flag down the waiter for dessert, I ordered Cinammon Ice Cream, he returned with Vanilla, I asked him to replace the order, he never returned to do so, eventually I had to walk over and ask another employee to find our waiter so we could get pay our check, again, keep in mind, there was no one else in the place!

Red's- Wiscasset ME

Shocker, right? Actually, no. Don't get me wrong, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the quality or quanity. Standing on line at this place got me thinking, most of the hyped up New England Seafood Shacks touted here on Roadfood are geared towards Touristas, not a local in sight anywhere (except across the street laughing at us touristas). The first place I went to on this particular trip that was obviously a local's place was Moody's Diner in Waldoboro. I guess I was expecting gregorian chants and angels dancing around my head when I took my first bite into this lobster roll, it didn't happen, and it's me, I now realize, I much prefer lobster in the shell versus in the roll.

Homemade Heaven Sandwich Shop- Ogallala NE

Reviewed favorably on Roadfood by Erika and Jon, they don't post much, but I believe it was Bruce Bilmes who noted that their reviews are right on the money. See the Travelin Man's thread, I believe we share the same opinino about the food here, however our opinions differ on dessert, although my pie did not win any best of awards, it was fine.

Pancake Pantry- Nashville TN

There are many on the forum, who have given this place high marks. I guess my expectations were extremely high walking into the place, and don't get me wrong, the smoky mountain buckwheat cakes weren't bad, but I didn't think they were anything special, perhaps I ordered the wrong item...

The #1 dissapointment of 2008

Harold's BBQ- Atlanta GA

OLD-ROTTEN-RANCID

These are the different ways that three different roadfooders (including myself) described the food (specifically the BBQ Pork) here. The Brunswick Stew and Cracklin Corn bread were actually pretty good, but after a forkful of the RANCID pork it completely spoiled my appetite, completely nauseated me and I actually wondered the rest of the evening if I was going to come down with food poisoning. Not only that but the bbq sauce tasted like diluded ketchup. I've mentioned previously that I'm utterly amazed that why certain worthy roadfood stops (ie Juice Kaboose in La Jolla CA) were removed from the restaurant section of the forum and why this one remains is just completely beyond me.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (CajunKing)

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:59:23 GMT

WJ

What an awesome "Best of" thread, I look forward to reading them every year.

It is hard to believe the year has gone by so fast.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (Baah Ben)

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:12:20 GMT

Thanks for the wonderful pictures. Lucky you!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:57:22 GMT

We're still not ready the top 10 of 2008 just yet....

50/50's

There's still some items that deserve recognition...

When I factor in the bests of the bests, I consider the following

the food itself, was every item (or most importantly the main part of the meal) outstanding ?
How was the service?
Is the atmosphere unique or indigenous to the region?

Sometimes certain parts of the meal stand out (secondary items), when perhaps the main part of the meal didn't, or maybe the atmosphere was blah and generic or perhaps the service just simply wasn't up to snuff. That's what this part of the thread is all about a few select items that really stood out when for some reason, nothing else did.

Mahi Sandwich at The Orlando Alehouse- Orlando FL

Part of a regional chain, this place had the atmosphere of a generic sports bar.
The Travelin Man took me here after he picked me up at the Airport and we were on our way to Mobile. I never expected the Mahi Sandwich to be as good as it was- it was a nice surprise.

West Indies Salad at Wintzells- Mobile AL

I'm not a huge fan of oysters, even when they're cooked and all dressed up, I don't dislike them, they're not what I would pick first, however the West Indies Salad which is basically marinated crab meat with onion is simply addicting. Although I shared this order, I could have easily made a meal out of two orders of this.

Chip Truck- Toronto Canada

Fries alone don't really excite me, and I can't really award a bunch of french fries a spot on the top 10 or runners up list, it just doesn't make any sense, however there is no doubt that these were the best fries I had all year. I couldn't even tell you the name of the chip truck I got them from.

Spring Rolls at Bun Saigon- Toronto Canada

I came here for Pho which was ok, perhaps I'm just not a big "phan" of pho, but these spring rolls are probably the best I ever had.

Biscuits at Joe Hubers- Starlight IN

Al- The Mayor- Bowen took me here. I must have had close to 3 basket of these "melt in your mouth biscuits" I couldn't tell you much about the rest of the meal.

White Beans n Cornbread at Joe's Bar-b-que- Nashville TN

This entire meal could have possibly been at least a runner up if I knew what the hell I was doing- Nobody told me I had to put hot sauce on the fish! This pancake style cornbread was the best of the lot (I had it at two other places while in nashville) and the white beans were no slouch either

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:15:01 GMT

buffetbuster

CTD-
But no doubt, he sets a high standard around here!

Why thank you, you're not so bad yourself !

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (buffetbuster)

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:10:31 GMT

CTD-
I am trying to do things a little bit different from WJ, so we aren't posting the exact same categories. But no doubt, he sets a high standard around here!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (ChiTownDiner)

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 11:03:56 GMT

wanderingjew

This is like a tennis match...U.S. Open level of play. WJ from the baseline, check BB's post, back to WJ...etc, etc, etc! Makes me want to get out and sample the goods. You guys really demonstrate a diversity among your choices. It's neat to recognize a few among the photos. Keep it coming!

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (Twinwillow)

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:25:49 GMT

WJ, that's got to be one of the very best collection of food reports and pictures I have ever seen on these pages.
You are to be commended. It's a literal catalogue of the best road food finds.
Thanks. I've salivated on each mouth watering picture.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (buffetbuster)

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:39:46 GMT

I sure would love to sink that bismarck! The breakfast burrito from The Frontier looks great, too.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (wanderingjew)

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:38:11 GMT

Well.....

I'm not going to post the top 10 of 2008, just yet....I think I'm going to wait until...well...the end of the year....

After reviewing Buffetbuster's top 10 breakfasts, I realized I'm not much of a breakfast person, usually forgoing big breakfasts for coffeehouses in order to enjoy lunches and dinners. And even though I don't even think I had the opportunity to enjoy 10 breakfasts this year, there were a few notable exceptional ones...

Although I don't have a "top 10" here are a few that enjoy special mention.

Kane's Donuts- Saugus MA

Just a mere 75 minutes away from me....this donut shop is just additional proof that Southern New England is definetely the donut capitol of the nation...

Here is their JUMBO coffee cake

and their Bismark

Frontier Restaurant- Albuquerque NM

The breakfast burrito deserves notable attention. Spend the few extra pennies and add some carne adovada. A spicy wake up call to begin your morning.

Northside Grill- Anne Arbor MI

These hearty apple oat bran pancakes were substantially delicious.

here's a closeup

and my#1 favorite breakfast of 2008

St Lawrence Market- Toronto Canada

The peameal bacon sandwich, a local Toronto Specialty is basically canadian bacon on steroids. oinky and full of character its served on a rugged sturdy roll and goes amazingly well with eggs.

Re:2008 The roadfood year in review and the best of (mr chips)

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:55:16 GMT

Sensational report, Dale. You are one of the princes of roadfood.