Roadfood Rapture- The Best of 2012

bethgrd,
 
Red Arrow is famous for their pies. Thats where the folks of Manchester get their pies for the holiday season.  Apparently they even have a separate pie truck.
 
TTM and I went there and shared the chocolate cream and apple pie, even though I'm more of a fan of fruit pies vs cream pies, the apple pie though good, did not match up to the Chocolate Cream pie. If that was fake whipped topping  I'd be shocked, it tasted very real to me.
 

OR.......the people in the background praying for him.............
 

I am sorry I missed the initial installment, as I was seeing some "sights" this past weekend, myself. Of your initial group of soups, I can only say that the bowl of seafood chowder from Gilbert's in Portland, Maine was one of the best soups I have EVER had. Period.

The Travelin Man


I am sorry I missed the initial installment, as I was seeing some "sights" this past weekend, myself. Of your initial group of soups, I can only say that the bowl of seafood chowder from Gilbert's in Portland, Maine was one of the best soups I have EVER had. Period.

 
It's certainly up there for me too. (the She Crab Soup at 82 Queen Street in Charleston comes close).....I'm so glad I found Gilbert's "by accident" back in 1995 and even gladder that they're still around after all these years. 

WJ
Most incredulous moment I thought would have been when in Nashville, CTD, BB and myself needed an extra table for all the food we ordered @ Rotier's. (But i forgot you hadnt arrived in town yet for that adventure) Now as I think about it CTD ordered a salad there too. 

CajunKing


WJ
Most incredulous moment I thought would have been when in Nashville, CTD, BB and myself needed an extra table for all the food we ordered @ Rotier's. (But i forgot you hadnt arrived in town yet for that adventure) Now as I think about it CTD ordered a salad there too. 

 
Actually CK,  that's not too incredulous, CTD always needs an extra table for everything he orders!

***EDIT****
 
Sorry for the oversight
 
There were 10 pies this year vs 9
I don't know how I could have forgotten the Blueberry Pie at Maine Diner in Wells ME 
 
The error has since been corrected.
although the blueberries weren't fresh, it was still an excellent pie.

wanderingjew

  If that was fake whipped topping  I'd be shocked, it tasted very real to me.

I've eaten enough pies at the Red Arrow to know that it's fake whipped topping.  But the rest of the pie is good enough for that not to bother me.  My favorite is their Brownie Cream Pie (cream pie with a brownie layer  below the filling)

This is a family site. 
At least a g-string, please. 
This is pure food porn!
 

 
 

wanderingjew


***EDIT****

Sorry for the oversight

There were 10 pies this year vs 9
I don't know how I could have forgotten the Blueberry Pie at Maine Diner in Wells ME 

The error has since been corrected.
although the blueberries weren't fresh, it was still an excellent pie.

 
 
Great to see the Maine Diner's blueberry pie added in!   It is among my all time favorite pies at one of favorite diners.  
 
 
Glenn
 
 

Now that Christmas is over, I'll continue with the the awards.... however I can see now there is no way I'll finish this before new years....
 
I thought I would get the negatative stuff out of the way, unfortunately it's a sad reality but here goes....
 
Rotten Tomatoes of 2012 (in no particular order)
 
1. The Gumbo Shop New Orleans LA
 


 
If tasteless slop is your kind of eatin' then go for it . Why this place is even on Roadfood is a complete insult to anyone's tastebuds. A flat out TOURIST TRAP and complete rip off. When I tried to remedy this travesty in a dish with hot sauce, all it did was merely take on the flavor of hot sauce. 
 
 
2. TTM'd twice in a row!
 

 
 

 


Taking the street car to Uptown in New Orleans and then taking a walk to my next roadfood stop, I was disappointed to find out that Hansen's Sno-Blitz is seasonal only, no problem, it's a short walk to my alternative stop, Domilise's Po-Boy- closed on Sunday and Thursday, with my luck it was thursday...
 
 
On an even sadder note, later on in my trip, I drove 40 miles round trip out of my way to find out that The Bean Palace at War Eagle Mill in Rogers AR is only open on weekends in February....Well....it was February
 


 
 
3. Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish Nashville TN
 
I've been here before and never had a problem when Mr. Bolton was around, however when we arrived for glee club weekend we left without our order due to the arrogance and rudeness of one of the staff.....
 
4. Nashville
 
Oh, there is certainly nothing wrong with Nashville, it's a fine city with some good food, however with so many people who got sick and others who had travel issues, it did but a damper over Glee Club weekend.
 
 
5. The Cupboard Memphis TN
 


 
Not only is this a sad looking slice of Lemon Ice Box Pie but they call this Lemon Ice Box Pie for a reason, it's supposed to be served chilled, not luke warm......
 
 
 
6.  City Cafe Elgin TX
 

 
If stale coconut cream pie that's as hard as rock is your thing....then go for it...
 
 
7. TTM'd The Tamale Store Phoenix AZ
 
Unfortunately, being TTM'd without  calling to see if a place is open is not an unusual occurrence for our "go with the flow" friend, however, calling several days in advance to ensure that Green Tamales would be available giving your order, confirming their hours and then arriving to find that they are closed without any explanation is truly a real bummer.
 
8. Fat Matt's Rib Shack Atlanta GA
 


 

 
 
Pasty tasteless bbq pork swimming in sauce and pureed brunswick stew that looked like it went through a blender also with an overbearing taste of bbq sauce convinced me that the Pig should be insulted that they sacrificed their life for this.
 
 
9. Beacon Drive In Spartansburg SC
 

 

 

 
 

 
Greasy, Nasty and Disgusting....I obviously have no intention of ever returning..
 
 
10  Northern Colorado and the I25 Corridor of Wyoming
 
You're all probably wondering about this one and the reason why is because this trip never happened. Scheduled for early October ,  after being slapped with a huge condo assessment, that completely snuffed out this trip and put it on permanent hold.... Unfortunately I felt it was more logical to use whatever money I did have towards the very few trips I'll be taking in 2013....
 
 
And there you have the Rotten Tomatoes of 2012.

Bolton's just called.  They said our order will be ready any minute now!

Sorry to hear about The Gumbo Shop.  I have a bowl of gumbo at every place I can when in New Orleans and The Gumbo Shop was always up there with the best.  I can tell just by the picture that things have changed in the kitchen.
 
Your food may have been disappointing but your pictures don't.

Buffetbuster
 
Now that had me laughing out loud.
I just realized you were with me for 3 of the rotten tomatoes 
 
Mar
 
The gumbo at the Gumbo Shop was ordinary. I had much better elsewhere....
 
 

The gumbo you pictured looks the gravy i just had with my ( average ) egg foo yung. i may be from the north, but I know what gumbo should look like, and taste like.( Thanks to Ck, who sent me a good recipe) Sorry that was such a dissapointment.....

Ann,
 
I hate to tell you, but that's not gumbo....
It's supposed to be Jambalaya in the middle, and shrimp creole and red beans and rice surrounding it, where one begins and the other ends, your guess is as good as mine.
 
I rest my case.

Eight Enticing Desserts (in no particular order)
 
1. Blackberry Cobbler Southern Pit Griffin GA
 

 
 
 
2. Banana Pudding - Matthew's Cafeteria - Tucker GA
 
 

 
 
 
3. Peach Cobbler - Matthews Cafeteria Tucker GA 
 

 
 
 
4. Sands of Time Ice Cream- Amy's Ice Cream Austin TX
 

 
 
 
 
5. A Chocwork Orange- Creole Creamery- New Orleans LA
 


 
 
 
 
6. Banana Pudding- Miss Myra's Pit BBQ Vestavia Hills AL
 
 


 
 
 
7. Bread Pudding- Mother's Restaurant- New Orleans LA

 
 
 
 
 
8. Bread Pudding- Bon Ton Cafe- New Orleans LA
 
 

Desserts are looking quite good.

Ann,
 
I hate to tell you, but that's not gumbo....
It's supposed to be Jambalaya in the middle, and shrimp creole and red beans and rice surrounding it, where one begins and the other ends, your guess is as good as mine.
 
I rest my case.

 
Oh My!  I also thought it was gumbo.
 
Failure!

All of the desserts look wonderful WJ, but it is the ice cream from Creole Creamery that really grabbed my attention this morning!

WJ and Mar-oh my goodness......failure is right!

Enjoyed both of your Mathew's choices about a year ago along with a nice salad...
 
Special Note to Cajun King, WJ and bb - adding an extra table allows guests to comfortably enjoy their food, decrease spillage and therefore reduce clean-up and generally present the restaurant to the public as more crowded which enhances their business also.  It has nothing to do with ordering off the menu. 

wanderingjew
 
4. Nashville

Oh, there is certainly nothing wrong with Nashville, it's a fine city with some good food, however with so many people who got sick and others who had travel issues, it did but a damper over Glee Club weekend. 

That weekend really was like an episode of M*A*S*H with the way people going down.  I especially felt sorry for Cousin Johnny.  He didn't leave the hotel room for the last two days of the trip.

buffetbuster

wanderingjew
 
4. Nashville

Oh, there is certainly nothing wrong with Nashville, it's a fine city with some good food, however with so many people who got sick and others who had travel issues, it did but a damper over Glee Club weekend. 

That weekend really was like an episode of M*A*S*H with the way people going down.  I especially felt sorry for Cousin Johnny.  He didn't leave the hotel room for the last two days of the trip.

 
Poverty Pete was down for the count too, and Ralph and Lori's travel issues getting to Nashville...
 
Oh, and TTM had the sniffles- 
 
 

ChiTownDiner
 

Enjoyed both of your Mathew's choices about a year ago along with a nice salad... 
 

 
 This isn't the first list that Matthew's will be on...stay tuned for more.....
 
 

wanderingjew


Buffetbuster
I just realized you were with me for 3 of the rotten tomatoes 

 
Hmmmmm - I see a new nickname coming in the future.
If going to a place and it is closed is called being "travelinmanned"
Then hitting a rotten tomato may be called being "buffetbustered"?????
Or
Adding another table to your dining experience being CTD'd
 
I have now had the pleasure of (or displeasure of) (and in same town:  Nashville) of being all three.

CK
 
Fear not, I don't attribute any of my rotten tomato's to you...
 
On an aside thanks for those who have sent me PM's, please don't be afraid to post here
 
It's been a very slow ongoing process as my time is very limited and I just haven't had enough time to spend on the internet. Hopefully I can complete the next list tonight...

wanderingjew

Oh, and TTM had the sniffles- 

Those sniffles could have developed into something much more serious....like a head cold.
 
Rather than let it keep me down, I soldiered on....through endless renditions of "Cheater, Cheater."

mar52

Sorry to hear about The Gumbo Shop.  I have a bowl of gumbo at every place I can when in New Orleans and The Gumbo Shop was always up there with the best.  I can tell just by the picture that things have changed in the kitchen.

Yeah, this one surprised me.  I haven't been there since 2008, but my Shrimp Etouffee was really good:

 
Always sad when a formerly reliable place has a downturn.

Kaszeta...  Now that looks good!

kaszeta

mar52

Sorry to hear about The Gumbo Shop.  I have a bowl of gumbo at every place I can when in New Orleans and The Gumbo Shop was always up there with the best.  I can tell just by the picture that things have changed in the kitchen.

Yeah, this one surprised me.  I haven't been there since 2008, but my Shrimp Etouffee was really good:
 

Always sad when a formerly reliable place has a downturn.

 
Kaszeta,
 
Although they're been a  select few hit hit and misses with Roadfood recommended restaurants, this is probably the first time I walked into a place and felt truly ripped off..... I still don't think I insulted the place enough in my rotten tomatos list..
 
 
TTM 
 
This one's for you...
 

 
 
On an aside, if we were ever to have a Rhode Island themed glee club weekend, I select this song as our theme song for the weekend, by Rhode  Island's own Steve Smith and the Nakeds...