What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (cecif)

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:58:38 GMT

Good stuff WJ.

May your 2012 out-do your 2011!

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (mr chips)

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:25:15 GMT

Great report, WJ. I've been offline for two weeks and this is the first I've read most of it. You truly are a road food treasure.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (joerogo)

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:30:25 GMT

WJ, I thoroughly enjoy your choices of food and travel.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (wanderingjew)

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:24:22 GMT

Again, thanks Buffetbuster, Wintem, Chi Town Diner and josefinajoisey.

Now I'm busy planning next months big trip-it's actually going to be the biggest trip of the year for me-

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (josefinajoisey)

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:26:11 GMT

I love that your travels are comprehensive: food, history, nature, vistas. The complete package! I appreciate this since I still have not shaken my fear of flying, and my travels are limited to the northern East Coast (with a couple of forays to Wisconsin to visit relatives) Thanks so much for your committment to Roadfood!

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (ChiTownDiner)

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:52:27 GMT

I always love Gene & Georgetti's...glad you did also!

Great recap...thanks!

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (buffetbuster)

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:39:42 GMT

Outstanding job on this WJ! This takes a lot of time and effort to do and it is really appreciated. You set the bar very high!

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (Wintem01)

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:05:21 GMT

Absolutely outstanding. They should make reports like this ILLEGAL during new year's resolution season. Just squashed every dieting fiber in my being.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (wanderingjew)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:22:07 GMT

Thanks everyone

Lee

Yes the Oregon Dairy Restaurant is definitely worth the while- I enjoyed my chicken and waffles and the potato soup actually deserves a special mention. The good thing is that that its not as touristy as some of those Amish "feed barns"

TTM

You are correct, I thought I was missing an ingredient after the fact and mayo was it- I'm hoping they don't use the reduced fat kind, a "healthy" cheese frenchee just isn't right

Donald

Of course the company was great- but the food took the Kopper Kettle over the top

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (CajunKing)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:25:40 GMT

Encore Encore

WE WANT MORE!!!

And here I thought it was the company @ the Kopper Kettle that made it the best

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (Ralph Melton)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:46:49 GMT

I always enjoy your reports and your annual roundups, and this adds to a great collection.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (wheregreggeats.com)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:03:42 GMT

Congrats Dale ...
You've won the coveted "Gregg-ie" award.

"Report of the Year !!!"

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (The Travelin Man)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:32:07 GMT

Dale - I thought that there was mayo inside a cheese frenchy, also? No?

Great year-end round-up, by the way.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (leethebard)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:59:29 GMT

Thanks,Wanderingjew...loved the whole report...we go a lot to Amish Country..and the town of Lititz is very nice...never been to the Oregon Dairy...or have had chicken and waffles,either.....how was the dish? and how is the restaurant? Should we give it a go??

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (ScreamingChicken)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:52:00 GMT

Great report, WJ! From a Roadfood standpoint 2011 was a good year for you!

Brad

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (wanderingjew)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:28:06 GMT

Mar

Thanks

Foodbme

Cheese frenchies are a Nebraska speciality. Take a grilled cheese sandwich, slather it in butter, roll it in corn flakes and then deep fry!

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (Foodbme)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:12:00 GMT

Another fantastic report but what's in that Cheese Frenchee from Shirley's Diner???

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (mar52)

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:44:17 GMT

I've waited until the end to comment.

BRAVO!

I appreciate your pictures, description and time it takes to write up a report.

Thank you.

Edited to change right to write. Sheeeeeesh!

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (wanderingjew)

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:32:54 GMT

Mr Hoffman- thanks

Greymo- I believe this was my third visit to St Mary's Landing. Since I last visited in 2005, the one thing that came to mind on my last visit was why did I wait so long to return.

Mark

Back at'ya -

Ok, I promised one last bonus category.

Since Roadfood is about distinctive regional food (not just burgers and hot dogs and "eats")
I thought I would include
regional food experienced for the first time in 2011.

So here we go.

Hot Cheese Sandwich Nick's Coney Island Hot Dogs Fall River MA
(Photo courtesy of Buffetbuster)

Bean Dog J.J.'s Coney Island Fall River MA
(photo courtesy of Buffetbuster)

Snail Salad Andino's Providence RI
(photo courtesy of Buffetbuster)

Smith Island Cake The Crab Claw St Michaels MD

Steamed Crabs The Crab Claw St Michaels MD

Hot Sauce Belgrade Gardens Barberton OH

Cornbread Casserole The Roost Fishers IN

Hoosier Style Chicken and Noodles The Roost Fishers IN

Gooey Butter Cake Park Avenue Coffee St Louis MO

Slinger Al's Chili Mac Diner St Louis MO

Snoots Roper's Ribs Jennings MO

Persimmon Pudding Pat's Gnawbone Sorghum Mill Nashville IN

Sugar Cream Pie Nick's Kitchen Huntington IN

Sauerkraut Balls Hey Hey Bar & Grill Columbus OH

Polish Boy Freddie's Rib House Lyndhurst OH

Chicken and Waffles Oregon Dairy Restaurant Lititz PA

Corn Pie Country Table Restaurant Mt Joy PA

Schnitz und Knepp Risser's Family Restaurant Womelsdorf PA

Cheese Frenchee Shirley's Diner Omaha NE

Butter Burger Solly's Grill Milwaukee WI

Shrimp De Jonge Gene and Georgetti's Chicago IL

And there you have it- The Conclusion of What Wooed Wanderingjew-

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (Greymo)

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:22:22 GMT

Very nice report. I am so glad that you liked the stuffed ham at St. Mary's. I have made this a couple of times and it is very labor intensive. I can see why it is so regional.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (Michael Hoffman)

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:48:51 GMT

Helluva job! Thanks.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (blizzardstormus)

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:20:46 GMT

Thanks for the mentions.

It is good to see the Redwoods on your New Restaurant list.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (wanderingjew)

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:09:48 GMT

Thanks Lee

Ann

I'm so glad that everyone I know accomodates me and eats local when I'm around.
Most don't care one way or the other so it reall doesn't matter to them- but here in Rhode Island it's extremely rare to find anyone eating "chain" Italian or Seafood.

Karilyn

We will definitely keep you int the loop

Paul

Imagine how I feel- I'm in strict diet mode for the next 5 weeks

One more bonus category is planned- perhaps tonight

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (ann peeples)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:17:40 GMT

I was in St. Louis in May-met my cousins from around the country. I had a fisftul of ideas and recommendations from all of you, and realized one thing after the trip-they are eaters, but not roadfooders. Thank God we traveled to see the Mayor and Janet on our way back( dont ask about Demi and Bob!!!) and had a wonderful meal at Hubers-and loved being with them for the Derby.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (karilyn)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:27:25 GMT

As soon as you know of any dates, let me know and I'll put it down in my calendar . . . in INK! Looking forward to more Roadfood adventures . . . . thanks again!

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (leethebard)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:14:30 GMT

GREAT ENDING TO A GREAT POST....REALLY ENJOYED YOUR CHOICES. THANKS SO MUCH!

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (Sundancer7)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:34:28 GMT

WJ: Wonderfu presentation and fantastic pics. I just had my dinner consiting of twice fried potatoes at home with some red wine and those pics made me double hungry. Double outstanding.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (wanderingjew)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:47:16 GMT

Here we go, as promised

The Top 10 New Restaurants of 2011
(10-6 are in no particular order
5-2 are the top 5 but are in no particular order
#1 is # 1)

10. Paradise Pups Des Plaines IL

I have two regrets all based on 20/20 hindsight.

1- Only finishing half of my meal
2- Not being able to share a meal here with Buddyroadhouse

all because I had to have my first butter burger at Solly's Grill. If I knew that my experience at Solly's was going to be less than impressive (butter on a burger is complete overkill) I would have done things differently. The classic Chicago dog is top notch and the burger with merkts cheddar is probably about as top notch of a fast food style burger that you will find anywhere.

9. Nick's Kitchen Huntington IN

Besides winning in the pie category, the Breaded Pork Tenderloin is nothing short of perfect. I wouldn't hesitate to say that I have reached BPT nirvana at Nick's Kitchen. This is the BPT that I will measure all others to even come close to compare to. And with a fine hostess/proprietor like JeannAnne, Nick's Kitchen sets the example of what every Roadfood establishment should be.

8. Kopper Kettle Morristown IN

I did not include photos of the entire meal- just the highlights. Sitting down to a classic Sunday dinner of Hoosier Pan Fried Chicken should be an experience that every Roadfood enthusiast should undertake. Not only was the meal at Kopper Kettle almost flawless (I'll forgive them for the fact that their sugar cream pie was a mere shadow compared to that at Nick's Kitchen) but their classic atmosphere was one of the best of 2011.

7. O'Connell's St Louis MO

This is what every roast beef sandwich should strive to be- pink, melt in your mouth tender and flavorful. Pared with a side of au'jus this is pure roast beef heaven.

6. Breitbach's Country Inn Balltown IA

The oldest restaurant in Iowa survived not one but two fires in recent years. Having rebuilt twice, I'm glad they did. Although I did not include photos of the entire meal, Breitbach's heartland salad bar is the largest I've ever seen and one of the best. Their bacon wrapped Iowa chops are pure porcine pleasure.

5. Farmer Brown's Steakhouse Waterloo NE

This old school steakhouse is what every steakhouse should strive to be. This meal was nothing short of perfect, everything from the crusty loaf of homemade bread, to the crisp salad with house dressing and blue cheese crumbles to the unique regional side of spaghetti and sweet marinara to the crispy hash browns and fork tender prime rib. Farmer Browns is an asset not only to Steakhouses but Roadfood in general in the Omaha area.

4. Babushka's Kitchen Northfield OH

Having previously received a nod in the soup category. The sandwich is also truly something else. Slow roasted pork and gravy loaded with sauerkraut and sauteed onions sandwiched between two potato cakes and topped with sour cream and sided with small dumplings. My only disappointment is that I completely finished my sandwich and could have kept on eating this beautiful masterpiece.

3. Redwood Steakhouse- Anita IA

With a "you just don't see this anymore" relish tray and a Windsor Style Pork chop that just screams "oink" when you take each bite- it's no wonder that Iowa is the pork capital of the nation. Kudos to Ayersian for this fantasmic discovery.

2. Jozsa Corner Pittsburgh PA

Alex Jozsa Bodnar is a passionate man, and his passion reflects in the meals that he prepares at this reservations for 4 or more only Hungarian Restaurant in Pittsburgh. With a parade of flawless courses that seem endless (and trust me, you don't want them to end) its places like Jozsa Corner that makes the Roadfood experience so special.

and the # 1 new restaurant of 2011 is...

Gene and Georgetti's Chicago IL

Three words- Shrimp De Jonge

And there you have it - the best of 2011

One more "bonus" category.....

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (wanderingjew)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:28:40 GMT

Ann

THanks, as you can see there were certainly some highlights from your fair city

Chi Town Diner

Perhaps not, but he can play a mean bass fiddle.

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MD

absolutely- however we don't where we are going yet or when it will be. I know Chris and I discussed the possibility of Southern New Hampshire (Portsmouth & Manchester) but we would all have to reach a consensus.

Re:What Wooed Wanderingjew- The Best of 2011 (MiamiDon)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:42:48 GMT

wanderingjew: Keep me posted on the Spring 2012 New England meetup. I'm thinking of a May/June trip to NYC & Framingham, MA.