Finding Boston’s Roadfood Gems

As we all know, Roadfooding is made even better when in the company of friends. When we found out that Buffetbuster and The Travelin Man were coming to Boston, we drew up a rather ambitious itinerary for the weekend: a schedule that mixed bonafide classics with under-the-RF-radar treasures. Realizing that Buffetbuster might like to complement his Friday-night Durgin-Park dinner with a dessert breakfast (!), we proceeded to the North End and Mike’s Pastry. After a few decadent cupcakes and a Florentine cannoli, we then drove to East Boston and Santarpio’s. The pepperoni & garlic pizza and chargrilled lamb & sausage were amazing as usual, augmented only by our jovial waiter cutting up with us the entire time. Before heading back to Cambridge, we stopped at Royal Roast Beef for a tender Super Beef cut in quarters.

Bethgrd and Karilyn met us at R.F. O’Sullivan & Son in Somerville for gourmet burgers, and they brought a mixed berry pie from Petsi Pies across the street. After chowing down on burgers and potato wedges, we walked over to Petsi to sample more of their cream pies and pastries. The crowning moment of the day came at our next stop, Kickass Cupcakes, where The Travelin Man called their Root Beer Float cupcake “the best that I have ever eaten—no lie!” Needing some dairy relief, we then drove into Cambridge to Toscanini’s and enjoyed wild flavors of ice cream such as Fluffernutter and Vienna Finger Cookie. Our final stop of the day was in Harvard Square at Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage, one of the state’s featured stops in George Motz’s Hamburger America. Three burgers and fresh lime rickeys later, we strolled around Harvard Yard and Square before calling it a night.

Sunday morning found us forking into fluffy omelets at Kendall Square’s Friendly Toast in Cambridge, marveling at their zany interior of vintage signs, very bad paintings, and pop-culture paraphernalia. Parking in Brookline, we left the car for a foursome of neighborhood stops. Clear Flour Bakery already had a line out the door, but there were plenty of buttery croissants and German pretzels, freshly baked and subsequently inhaled by all of us. Buffetbuster was a little skeptical about our Mexican food choice, Dorado, but one bite of his homemade chorizo cemita (a sandwich layered with meat, Oaxaca string cheese, avocado, and black beans) quickly changed his tune, and their fish taco, roasted corn, and watermelon agua fresca garnered highest praise.

We then met up with TTM’s friend John over slices of pepperoni pizza at Upper Crust, after which we crossed the street to J.P. Licks for peanut butter-marshmallow sundaes, Coffee Oreo and Noodle Kugel ice creams, and the curious but delicious Manischewitz sorbet. After sampling fresh oysters, the original Boston cream pie, and the famous Parker House rolls at the Omni-Parker House downtown, we drove to Belmont for our final stop, Rancatore’s, and more ice cream and incredible hot fudge. Many thanks from the bottom of our stomachs to Buffetbuster, The Travelin Man, Bethgrd, Karilyn, and John for trusting us to call the shots—let’s all do this again soon! (Some photos courtesy of Buffetbuster and Karilyn)

Central R.I. Eat & Greet Draws Roadfooders From Afar

Wonderful weather and wonderful company: what could be better for an Eat & Greet? WanderingJew and Bethgrd did a bang-up job in putting together a whirlwind of Rhode Island delights, and a total of 14 Roadfooders—including MiamiDon from Florida, and Ivyhouse and her friend Terri from Maryland (!)—tackled four primary Roadfood eateries plus a museum last Saturday. Our initial meeting spot was Modern Diner in Pawtucket, where omelets, stuffed crêpes, and chouriço hash dominated the breakfast tables. A leisurely stroll through the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University in Providence provided enough time to recharge before our lunch assault of Angelo’s Civita Farnese on Federal Hill. Handsome grinders, pasta dishes, calamari, and snail salad abounded here. A few blocks away, we found DePasquale Square and Palmieri’s Bakery full of sweet treats, gelato, and saucy pizza strips. After a failed attempt at Wein-O-Rama in Cranston (it should be noted that they missed out on some prime business!), Olneyville NY System down the road welcomed us with hot weiners, fries, onion rings, and coffee milk. WanderingJew graciously provided a parking-lot dessert of Allie’s Donuts from North Kingstown. After the group dispersed, I stopped at Newport Creamery to grab an Awful Awful for the drive back to Boston. Many thanks to WanderingJew and Bethgrd for always planning a great time, and to all the fabulous Roadfooders we met on this tour!

Central Rhode Island Eat & Greet on Saturday

Roadfood power-poster WanderingJew has assembled quite the itinerary for his Central Rhode Island Eat & Greet this Saturday, May 22. Focus items include such Ocean State staples as jonnycakes, hot weiners, coffee milk, and pizza strips. After breakfast at Modern Diner in Pawtucket, the group will visit the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University in Providence. Federal Hill and Angelo’s Civita Farnese will be our lunch location, followed by a bakery circuit, including but certainly not limited to Palmieri’s Bakery for pizza strips. The final stop is Wein-O-Rama in Cranston for hot weiners and coffee milk. We are particularly fond of WanderingJew’s trips, for our very first Eat & Greet was his Eastern Rhode Island tour several winters ago! Read all the details here in his Roadfood Forum thread.

Roadfood Glee Club Conquers Charleston, Day 3

Though some Roadfooders had already departed, the remaining group soldiered on for multiple brunches centering on higher-end RF establishments in downtown Charleston. Our first meet was at Magnolia’s on East Bay Street, where we shared a smorgasbord of fine Lowcountry fare: housemade pimento cheese (made with diced green olives) on flatbread crackers, Down South Egg Roll (stuffed with chicken, collards, tasso ham, and served with red pepper purée and spicy mustard), fried green tomatoes, and crab cakes topped with poached eggs. Our main entrées were blue crab bisque and Shellfish over Grits, an amazing amalgam of lobster, scallops, and shrimp in a butter sauce over creamy grits and topped with fried spinach.

Our second stop was at 82 Queen on Queen Street. Hot biscuits were placed on the table after ordering, so we dispensed with the appetizers and headed straight for the main dishes: pesto-crusted grouper on fried green tomatoes and grits, shrimp & grits, and the city’s best she-crab soup. We tapped out after these magnificent meals, as did others, though we knew no one could beat the inimitable ChiTownDiner, who managed to hit an astonishing 22 eateries in three days! Could that be a Roadfood record? A few locations were bandied about for the 2011 meeting, including Houston and Key West, the latter surely stemming from South Carolina’s abnormally snowy weather. Special thanks to The Travelin’ Man, Buffetbuster, ChiTownDiner, and WanderingJew for advance planning; to WanderingJew and Nocarolina for treating the group; and to Nocarolina, Nancypalooza and Julie, and Louis and Anna for conquering storm-swept highways to join us—and of course, a tip of our collective hats to Mayor Al, Glee Club founder and primary source of inspiration.

Roadfood Glee Club Conquers Charleston, Day 2

With some areas recording up to five inches of snow, Charleston looked like it had just rained by 10 a.m.: the sun was bright, the temperature rising, and the snow melting. By the afternoon, there was snow only in shady spots and a lone snowman here and there in front yards. Nancypalooza and Julie rode with us to Charleston’s Café on Johnnie Dobbs Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. We chose the Southern Benedict with fried green tomatoes and chippers (housemade potato chips), but a daily special also caught our eyes: deep-fried peanut butter & jelly sandwich! Lunch followed at Gullah Cuisine, also on Johnnie Dobbs, with she-crab soup, fried catfish, shrimp, and two trips to their hot buffet: fried chicken, pork BBQ, succotash, red rice, collards, mac & cheese, okra gumbo, stewed cabbage, and candied yams. Amy wanted to see the Angel Oak on Johns Island, so we drove across the Ashley River and over washboard roads to marvel at the massive, Tolkien-esque tree with its tentacle-like branches.

After snagging a rockstar parking spot, exploring Upper King Street was a cinch. The Southeastern Wildlife Expo was in town, and Cupcake on King Street was preternaturally packed with camo-clad cakehounds. We shared Pumpkin, Almond, and the curious Black Bottom (chocolate cake with a cheesecake center) cupcakes before a final, pre-dinner stop at Hannibal’s Kitchen on Blake Street. One glorious, $2 fried bologna sandwich and a Cheerwine later, we were heading toward Folly Beach and Bowen’s Island for dinner. Armed with oyster knives and rags, we pried open trays of roasted oysters and slurped them down alongside fried shrimp, fish, Frogmore stew, and deliriously good hushpuppies. Local patrons didn’t bat an eye at our Hawaiian garb, and we had a dining room to ourselves as we exchanged Roadfood gifts from around the country with each other. We said our goodbyes to a few Roadfooders and planned to meet with the remaining group for Sunday brunch.

Roadfood Glee Club Conquers Charleston, Day 1

Charleston, South Carolina received record snow last weekend, but that didn’t dampen the appetites of the West Tennessee Glee Club’s seventh annual meeting of Roadfooders from around the country. From roasted oysters to okra gumbo and every Southern staple in between, the group made its way around greater Carolopolis and visited an equal number of Roadfood-reviewed restaurants and as-of-yet undiscovered gems. Joey Holleman of Columbia’s The State newspaper caught wind of the event and wrote an article spotlighting the meet.

Arriving late Thursday night, we made a beeline for the one Roadfood outpost that we knew would be open after 10 p.m.: Dave’s Carry-Out on Morris Street. The fried shrimp was excellent, as were the deviled crab and French fries. Friday morning began with a bowl of hot grits at Hominy Grill on Rutledge Avenue. An egg & sausage biscuit, pumpkin-ginger bread, and buttermilk pie rounded out our meal before we walked it off in the Historic Market. The pink cinder blocks of Martha Lou’s Kitchen on Morrison Drive beckoned us, and inside we ordered a plate of fried chicken, lima beans, macaroni & cheese, and cornbread. The rain turned to snow halfway on the drive to Holly Hill, but Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que (a mainstay in the older editions of the Roadfood books) stayed open long enough to accommodate us before closing early, due to bad weather. Their buffet featured light and dark ’que, pork ribs slathered with mustard sauce, BBQ hash and white rice, and sweet ‘n’ sour pickles, and a few added banana pudding for dessert. We then drove slowly and carefully in the windy snow on slippery I-26 back to Mount Pleasant to rest up for Saturday’s festivities!

The 2009 Louisiana Roadfood Festival is Underway

The weather is perfect, the 40 different food choices are spectacular and everyone seems to be having a great time.  There is no doubt that this is the largest and most successful Roadfood gathering ever.  Thank you to those who flew from around the country to participate.

The above is about 1/10th of the street festival

A freshly “dressed” oyster po-boy

The worlds longest oyster po’boy kicked off the weekend festival

You can’t have a festival without music

The Little Eat & Greet That Could

What began as a humble invitation to dine together resulted in a Roadfood Glee Club reunion of sorts, a mere two weeks after group members ate their way across Memphis, Tennessee. Spending the weekend in Ohio, Amy & I planned to meet Cincinnati expert CajunKing for dinner at Camp Washington Chili Parlor on Saturday and then head down to Louisville, Kentucky to have lunch with Mayor Al & Janet Bowen on Sunday at Claudia Sanders Dinner House in nearby Shelbyville. To our astonishment, who should walk through the door on Sunday but The Travelin Man, who just happened to be in Louisville on a business trip. But the prize went to intrepid traveler Nocarolina, who drove down from Chicagoland that morning to join us for lunch—without using any interstate highways! We were amazed at how rapidly news travels across RF lines and were thrilled yet again to meet all of our wonderful friends. Mayor Al snapped this picture of The Travelin Man bellying up to the pie buffet at Claudia Sanders, and his eager grin perfectly encapsulates the friendliness and enthusiasm on tap at local Eat & Greets.

Glee Club Memphis Meet ‘n’ Eat was a rousing success

Roadfooding in a big city is fun, but Roadfooding in a big city with other Roadfooders is a real party. Such was the scene last weekend at the 2009 Memphis meeting of the Roadfood Glee Club, which officially began their festivities (though some chose to start their weekend a day or two beforehand) at the original location of Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi on Friday night. Saturday consisted of lunch at the Cozy Corner in Memphis, and owner Desiree Robinson was on hand to greet the group. Beale Street was a popular afternoon destination, and many found their way to Dyer’s Burgers for a snack before chowing down at the BBQ buffet at Leonard’s that evening. The door prize presentations were particularly entertaining, and some wrote poems to accompany their regional food gifts. Sunday morning found the group ordering everything from pancakes to pizza at the Arcade, after which the group went their separate ways, promising to convene again next year in Charleston, South Carolina. What struck us as first-timers to a Glee Club meeting was the welcoming camaraderie of the group, the family-style sharing of food, and the bountiful laughter during the group’s tall tales. The fact that twenty-five folks traveled from the Midwest and from up and down the Eastern seaboard to break bread together (in this trying economy, even) is a testament to the true spirit of Roadfood. Check out this RF Forum thread for continuing reports, and mark your calendars for Presidents’ Day weekend in 2010. You won’t want to miss this unforgettable meeting to sample Charleston’s Lowcountry specialties!

Sixth Annual Glee Club Meet ‘n’ Eat goes to Memphis

Since 2004, the Roadfood Glee Club has been assembling yearly during Presidents’ Day weekend to chow down at America’s culinary epicenters. This year, RF moderator and Forum administrator Mayor Al (Bowen) leads a formidable crew of Hawaiian-shirt-wearing enthusiasts to Memphis, Tennessee. On Friday night, the group is stopping at the original location of Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi for dinner. Saturday’s lunch stop in M-Town is Cozy Corner for ribs, BBQ bologna, and BBQ spaghetti (that’s Michael Stern’s photo of a rib plate above). A tour of Beale Street and Dyer’s deep-fried burgers may take place during the day, while Valentine’s Day dinner is cinched at Leonard’s BBQ. Travel plans may scatter the group on Sunday, though some will begin Day Three with a country breakfast at the Arcade (that’s Michael Stern’s photo of sweet-potato pancakes below) and continue onward for more adventures. For all the details, check out this RF Forum thread. Full trip reports to follow!