My Year in Roadfood (2012)

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (buffetbuster)

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:47:58 GMT

Rocky Enfield-
Thanks so much for the report back and I am thrilled that you and your family had a good experience at Spyro's! If it wasn't for the fact that my photos turned out unusable, I probably would have written a Roadfood review for the place.

It is still in the plans to visit Heinnie's this year, but still not sure when. When I do know, I will let you know. Thanks again!

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (Rocky Enfield)

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:18:08 GMT

BB

Kathy and I took the kiddos to Fort Wayne for the Science Central Museum and some laser tag. We made sure to go early so we could have breakfast at Spyro's Pancake House.

Those are some massive portions! I had the Hungryman Frittata and was full until dinner time. My wife had the Chicken Divan omelet and it was HUGE!! I have never in my life saw an omelet that tall.

My 9 year old daughter was happily eating her meal and said "this is like an all you can eat buffet without the buffet, because this is all I can eat."

My 7 year old son had the "mickey" pancake and loved it. All around a super breakfast and would go back in a heartbeat.

Hoping you are still planning on coming to Elkhart to visit Heinnie's.

Email me at rocky@rockyenfield.com if you are able to come this way.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (love2bake)

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:56:03 GMT

buffetbuster

love2bake-
Thank you so much for the comments. I can't imagine you won't like Flip's. Hopefully you will be dining with other people because there are so many good things on the menu worth sampling.

That is a major issue in traveling alone! I don't know if anyone would have wanted to be on my schedule, though. I drove about 7,500 miles in 3-1/2 weeks.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (EdSails)

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:35:48 GMT

I sure hope you have CA on your upcoming travel list. I have some great places for you to try

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (buffetbuster)

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:26:28 GMT

love2bake-
Thank you so much for the comments. I can't imagine you won't like Flip's. Hopefully you will be dining with other people because there are so many good things on the menu worth sampling.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (love2bake)

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:51:51 GMT

Holy mackerel, BB! I've been avoiding reading trip reports for the past few months, as I was dieting from my last road trip and afraid to see an entire year of your photos and descriptions. But I finally lost the last pound and have just checked out this report--at least initially. Beyond all of the fantastic, droolworthy food pics (and I've been bookmarking places right and left), I'm blown away by the myriad details you notice and document: for instance, pig and chicken art, the fabulous neon, etc., plus your photos of flowers, animals, beautiful nature, historic sites, and people are inspiring and give us all some sense of what you experienced. What an amazing treat! And what a labor of love this report is. Thank you for organizing and sharing so much with us! Btw, thanks to your report, I'll be visiting Flip's in Wilmington on my trip east this spring--can hardly wait now!

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (FriedClamFanatic)

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:43:14 GMT

OMG.............now that I have seen a picture of Michael Hoffman..i grab back my "curmudgeon" title..he is much too young and good looking to be there yet..........and he obviously snagged an even younger gorgeous bride............Gawd, BB, how I envy you two guys!

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (buffetbuster)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:37:50 GMT

I would be remiss if I didn't thank all the wonderful times meeting other Roadfooders in 2012. Some of the ones that stand out:

* Despite how many of us showed up sick or got ill during our time in Nashville, Glee Club was a great time. It was especially nice having such first timers as will_work_4_bbq, Michael Hoffman and lleechef join us. We must not have scared them off too bad, because they are returning again this year in Mobile.

Still, the highlight of Nashville was a meal shared with CajunKing and ChiTownDiner and I at Rotier's.

We ordered and ate so much food, they had to bring over another table to fit it all. And although not everything was great, the company more than made up for it. The fact that we had a fun, sexy waitress didn't hurt either!

* The many times getting together with my fellow Pittsburghers Ralph and Lori Melton. And not only in Pittsburgh, but they also attended many of the same get togethers as us out-of-town. If there are two nicer people on the planet than Ralph and Lori, I haven't met them.

BTW, we recently met for dinner at a Mexican restaurant here in town and we ordered so much food, they the waiter brought over an extra table. No doubt that CajunKing and ChiTownDiner would be proud!

* So what does New Year's Day, Easter, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving have in common? Besides the obvious, I shared holiday meals with the TravelinMan.

Brunch on New Year's Day was at the great Hominy Grill

in Charleston. Our meals included she crab soup, fried green tomatoes in pimento cheese, a bacon biscuit,

chocolate pudding and buttermilk pie.

It doesn't get much better than that!

Easter dinner was fried chicken, pot roast and all you can eat vegetables at Celebration in Dallas.

Breakfast on the Fourth of July was Iowa Chops

at Machine Shed

in Urbandale, Iowa. Our waitress?

Nibblet!

Finally, what would Thanksgiving dinner at Du-Par's be without TTM ordering pancakes.

* One of my very favorite people, cecif visited me here in Pittsburgh on her cross country drive. Mariton and I took her to a couple of Roadfood joints in town, Pierogies Plus

and Union Grill. Before she left, I had to get a photo of her with the spaceship

in my hometown.

* MiamiDon took Mariton, Cousin Johnny and I on an amazing food tour through Miami's Little Havana. Our stops included El Mago de las Fritas,

El Palacio de las Jugos,

La Camaronera

and Azucar.

All four stops were outstanding and deserve written up here on Roadfood. A big thanks to MiamiDon and we can't to return to Miami!

* There was several get togethers with lleechef and Michael Hoffman here in PA, but my favorite meeting with them was at Crabill's,

a wonderful little spot for sliders in western Ohio. And don't let Michael's reputation as a curmudgeon fool you. Not only is he fabulous company, he is also a really nice guy.

* WanderingJew and I spent a fun weekend in Georgia enjoying the Southern hospitality. One of the highlights was the other friendly customers at Jim Stalvey's giving us advice on which Southern vegetables to order. In fact, one guy went as far as bring his plate over to our table so that we could try his suggestions! Based on our plate,

we did ok!

* We had a fun weekend in Worcester, MA, thanks to the organizational skills of bethgrd and karilyn. They lined up some interesting sights and really interesting foods. Our favorite place we ate at was the cracker thin pizzas with unusual toppings at Corner Grille.

Another thanks goes out to Amy Briesch for driving us around, despite the flat tire karma.

* It was nice enough for Howard Baratz to meet Cousin Johnny and I for dinner at White River Fish Market

in his hometown of Tulsa. But, we will be forever in his debt for introducing us to the great pies

at Hammett House in nearby Claremore. Thanks again Howard!

* Other thank yous go to BuddyRoadhouse for inviting us to join him for some good meals while he was visiting Cleveland for the Roadhouse BBQ sauce tour. Will_work_4_bbq for meeting me for lunch at The Bright Star in Bessemer, AL. One of these days, I will get good enough photos to write a review, because that place deserves it. And BuffaloTarheel and his wife Barbara joining Mariton and I at Laughlin's for some beef on weck, followed by really good cupcakes.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (Texascajun)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:29:17 GMT

Yes he has. Got close this year. I'm glad you appreciate Manhattan it is a great town.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (buffetbuster)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:21:02 GMT

TexasCajun-
Thanks so much for the generous offer, but I do several Kansas State sweatshirts. Manhattan (a.k.a. the little apple) is a great town! What a job Bill Snyder has down with their football program.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (Texascajun)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:44:14 GMT

buffetbuster

Thank you for the kind remarks!

Texascajun-
I also collect college sweatshirts everywhere I go. If I can buy them from the college's bookstore on campus, so much the better. Today, I wore a hoodie to work that only one person recognized the logo, which surprised me. It was a Iowa Hawkeye.

That is surprising. My absolute favorite is Kansas State my wife and her entire family graduated from there and I really look up to her Dad. He won veterinarian of the year a few years ago and a lifetime achievement award and is still practicing well into his 80's. He loves everything K-State and i love supporting them. If you don't have a K-State sweatshirt let me know and I'll send you one.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (Michael Hoffman)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:08:23 GMT

Oh boy! If lleechef sees that you're going to be in deep trouble.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (JRPfeff)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:48:11 GMT

Michael Hoffman

buffetbuster

Thank you for the kind remarks!

Texascajun-
Today, I wore a hoodie to work that only one person recognized the logo, which surprised me. It was a Iowa Hawkeye.

That's perfectly understandable. It's because Iowa is in the Legends Division and Penn State is in the Leaders Division.

That is very odd, since the Steelers copied their uniforms from the Hawkeyes.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (Michael Hoffman)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:31:48 GMT

buffetbuster

Thank you for the kind remarks!

Texascajun-
Today, I wore a hoodie to work that only one person recognized the logo, which surprised me. It was a Iowa Hawkeye.

That's perfectly understandable. It's because Iowa is in the Legends Division and Penn State is in the Leaders Division.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (buffetbuster)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:28:02 GMT

Thank you for the kind remarks!

Texascajun-
I also collect college sweatshirts everywhere I go. If I can buy them from the college's bookstore on campus, so much the better. Today, I wore a hoodie to work that only one person recognized the logo, which surprised me. It was a Iowa Hawkeye.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (Texascajun)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:12:05 GMT

Great stories BB. If you ever write a book I'll be the first to buy. I love the Texas A&M sweatshirt also. I just bought a couple of new ones with SEC on the sleeves. I love collecting college sweatshirts.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (ChrisOC)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:58:51 GMT

BB your posts are really great! Thanks

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (ChrisOC)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:58:50 GMT

BB your posts are really great! Thanks

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (mayor al)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:45:06 GMT

BB you are an inspiration to us all. I am sure you will earn the recognition you deserve for your efforts.
AL

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (mr chips)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:46:00 GMT

Wow, your stories are just incredible, BB.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (buffetbuster)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:10:15 GMT

Just a couple more stories and this will be done.....

Back in January, there was a report here in the forums of Roadfood that Grote & Weigel, maker of quality meats for over 120 years, was closing down. Although it is always sad to hear of a business like this closing, the signifigance of this to Roadfooders is that they provided the two foot long wieners to Doogie's of Newington, CT.  This would mean that after the supply of wieners that Doogie's already had in house, they would no longer be able to sell their famous two foot long hot dogs. As luck would have it, I had a trip scheduled to Hartford that same weekend and I kept my fingers crossed that the wiener supply would hold out.

I was at Doogie's Saturday morning and when I ordered the two footer, the girl at the counter made me nervous by saying she thought they were out. She asked over her shoulder to the kitchen if any of them were left and the reply was they had two more. Woo-Hoo!! And the guy behind me in line was also happy to hear this, because this meant he was also getting one and he had driven a long distance to get there. What people won't do for a hot dog! To mark the occasion, I asked the other customer if he would take a photo of me

and of course I obliged back by taking a photo of him with his dog.

While I was snapping away photos of my food, a man came from behind the counter and introduced himself as Rock (Aronheim),

the owner of Doogie's.  Rock is talkative, self-confident and he cares deeply about his restaurants. I liked him immediately. He asked me quite a few questions and when he found out that I learned about the place through Roadfood, well, I was his new best friend. He had lots of questions about my travels.

I told him about my trip the weekend before to Florida's First Coast and how great the minorcan chowder and fried shrimp were around St. Augustine. He immediately told his staff to make some fried shrimp for me to try and told me his were even better. While I appreciated sampling more of the menu and his fried shrimp was quite good (his other restaurant is a seafood restaurant), it wasn't O' Steen's. Anyway, this went on for a while, with him bringing out more food for me to try, including some especially good sweet potato fries.

That is when he told me he wasn't happy with his sandwich menu. He wanted to introduce some new items and he asked me what were some of my favorite sandwiches from across the country. It was really cool to have my brain picked by a restaurant owner in this way and I really wanted to come up with some suggestions he could use.  He shot down beef on weck immediately along with some others. He thought Philly cheesesteaks were commonplace and they might have already been on the menu. He was intrigued by Philly's roast pork Italian and I brought up photos from Tony Luke's. He was also intrigued by Chicago's Italian beef. But, when I mentioned the butter burger from Wisconsin, he lit up. I showed him some photos from Solly's and he was obviously excited by this.

We chatted for at least a hour, before it was time to move on. Meanwhile, he asked for my phone number in case he had some follow up questions.  Just a few hours later, he called to say they were experimenting and had a few more questions. Onions? No onions? How much butter? I answered the best I could. Later that night, Rock called again to say they were happy with the results and it was going on the menu. Nice! The idea that a butter burger was going to be on a menu in CT with some assistance from me definitely made me chuckle.

It was only a month or so later that Michael Stern did a Roadfood Digest post about a trip to Doogie's. Rock had mentioned that he was working on finding a new supplier for the two foot wiener. He was happy with the new wiener and the two foot hot dog went back on the menu. While he was there, Michael also tried the butter burger. You can see what he said about it in the digest post. Michael did tell me later that he was trying to figure out how this Wisconsin item ended up here.

The Roadfood bus tour was held in Connecticut in 2012 and Doogie's was on the itinerary. I was very much looking forward to trying their version of the butter burger, but when we arrived, it was no longer on the menu. Rock did not recognize me, but he was telling stories to other people about this guy he met earlier in the year from Pittsburgh who liked to talk Roadfood. I did ask him about the butter burger and unfortunately, it just wasn't a seller. Disappointing, but I do give Rock full credit for trying new things. Anyway, while we were on the tour, I did get another photo with the two footer.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (billyboy)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:00:36 GMT

I HAVE been there. Dayna and I had breakfast there one morning and it was great. I had a Mama Bear sized portion with peaches maple syrup and almond milk. It was so warm and comforting and there really is such a huge difference when steel cut oats are used. Dayna also had a Mama Bear with flax seeds, roasted apples and soy milk. Not really my thing but she loved it. The great thing about Oatmeals is that you can go in so many directions: sweet, savory, etc and there is something for just about everyone (provided you're an oatmeal fan, of course).

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (buffetbuster)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:33:12 GMT

billyboy-
I was just looking over the menu of Oatmeals. It's like someone read Mariton's diary. I was reading the menu to her until she toldme to stop because it was making her hungry. Needless to say, this will be at the top of the list next time in NYC. Have you actually eaten here? Is it as good as it looks?

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (billyboy)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:25:34 GMT

I've got a nice little collection of those Rice To Riches bowls in my cupboard. We use them as food/water bowls for our cats!

And my stripper name was picked out years ago: Shamrock Evergreen (first pet's name + street name where I first lived)

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (buffetbuster)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:20:43 GMT

EdSails-
Thanks so much for the kind words. Now I am disappointed that we didn't try Brophy Brothers cioppino, which is a favorite dish of mine. We did get to see quite a few fishermen, but didn't see any selling going on. The atmosphere added so much to our experience there. I normally hate to eat outside, because of sun, bugs, wind, etc., but on that day the conditions were perfect.

And a Super Bowl party catered by El Campeon? How great would that have been?

HepCat-
If you want to find out more about Economy Candy, just look into some of billyboy's excellent previous reports. He has written about a few times before. It really is an amazing sight.

billyboy-
Hilly Boman would make an excellent stripper name! Rice to Riches was our clear favorite among the places mentioned, but sugar Sweet sunshine was not too far behind. I loved that place!

BuddyRoadhouse-
Yeah, you are right that those pierogies could have used some more grilled onions, but that sure didn't stop us from wolfing them down. Smak Tak! just zoomed to the top of my list for next time in Chicago!

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (billyboy)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:31:21 GMT

BB, I just looked at this report again. Thanks so much for the shout-out and I am so happy that you, Mariton and Cousin Johnny truly enjoyed so many of my favorite places in NYC! The PB & Blackberry jam is my favorite at Doughnut Plant though there are so many others I love too. Those bits of crunchy roasted peanuts in the glaze just seal the deal for me and Marl Isreal and his staff make their own jams. Isn't Economy Candy just the BEST?! I had lunch at Vanessa's Dumplings the other day and swung by Economy to pick up a bottle of Fox's U-Bet Chocolate Syrup. It's $1 more at my local grocery store. And I love the bulk bins with Bit-O-Honeys, Mary Janes, Goldenberg's Peanut Chews and Squirrel Nut Zippers in them. It reminds me of the concession stand at my little league games.
I haven't been to sugar sweet sunshine in a while and that cupcake may be just the reason for a return visit. We need to do a walk-thru of Essex Market and lunch at Shopsin's! I've got a list of many other places I think you'll love! Rice to Riches and PB & Co., eh? Never tire of those. Just a few blocks from PB & Co. is an all oatmeal bar called Oatmeals that Mariton might like. Link: http://oatmealsny.com/index.html
And yes, my side job as Lady Liberty is my embarrassing secret. I never thought you'd recognize me. The guy in all of the Boston RF Meet-up pics that same weekend was my doppelgänger, Hilly Boman.

Your story about the time you spent with Les Banos makes me want to be a better writer. Thanks. Keep on keepin' on, man.

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (BuddyRoadhouse)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:06:47 GMT

Those Pierogis at Babushka's were astonishingly good; bigger than any I've ever seen before, and cooked perfectly. Could've used a bit more grilled onion to go around our hungry group, but I reckon we should've asked for them that way.

Next time you're in Chicago we need to drag you to Smak Tak! (Polish for "Delicious, Yes!"), a brilliant Polish restaurant on the northwest side of the city. If you liked the Warsaw at Babushka's you'll go nuts for the Hungarian Pancake at Smak Tak! Similar idea to the Warsaw, but instead of roast pork, they take a dinner plate sized potato pancake, fill it with goulash, then fold it over crepe style, and top it off with dollops of sour cream. One order will easily feed four (with other accompanying dishes, of course).

That was a fun night wrapped up with some tasty frozen custard as I recall.

As always, a lovely report with some great photos and good memories.

Buddy

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (mr chips)

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:47:05 GMT

There are some stores that just scream road food; Galcco's in Los Angeles with the soda variety, the Rgue Creamery with award winning cheese, the Olive pit in Corning, California with endless free samplews of wonderful Olives,, the fudge at the Briggitine monastery in Amity, Oregon. This store in new York looks wonderful

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (Hepcat)

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:06:14 GMT

buffetbuster

* During a weekend in New York City, we spent an afternoon visiting some of the cool and unusual Roadfood places that have been reviewed by billyboy.

Economy Candy makes you feel like you are 10 years old again. The variety here is astonishing

and it would take hours at least to tryuly look through everything. If they don't have it, it isn't available! I loaded up on a few favorites that are tough to find at home, especially bottle caps. And I also learned that Bosco made candy bars.

Oh wow! Does Economy Candy ever sound like my kind of place!

Re:My Year in Roadfood (2012) (The Travelin Man)

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:00:55 GMT

Could you please go over the rules of how a meal gets selected to be in the Top 10? Do you tally the ballots yourself, or do you use an accounting firm? I have heard good things about the boys over at Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe.