Great news: the estimable Peak Brothers Barbecue of Waverly, Kentucky, which was destroyed by fire in 2006, appears ready to reopen. Thanks to Louis Hatchett for a link to the story in the Evansville Courier and Press.

Sam's Grill began in 1867; the current owner purchased it three years ago.  There are rumors that the owner has been quietly looking for a buyer.  Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.  Here's Michael Stern's Roadfood.com review.

The 62nd Annual Strawberry Festival in Adairville began last Saturday, and continues through next Saturday, the 17th.  You've already missed the 5K Run, the Car, Truck, & Tractor Show, the Little Miss Pageant and the Sr. Miss Pageant, and the Arts Affair.  Not to worry, however, there's plenty more still to come!  There'll be rides, entertainment on the square, Pets & Kids On Parade, a pancake breakfast, crafts on the square, a reenactment of a duel involving Andrew Jackson, and much, much more.  And of course, plenty of strawberry ice cream and strawberry shortcake!  For more info, click here.

A chase scene set in 1957 from the new Indiana Jones movie was shot in New Haven, CT, and the city wants to celebrate.  They are planning an Indiana Jones-themed festival for this Saturday that will include music, classic cars used in the film, and contests.  Claire Criscuolo, owner of Claire's Corner Copia, has created a new scone for the event, named Kingdom of the Crystal Scone.  This scone will contain crystallized ginger, cranberries, and blueberries.  Sounds like reason enough to show up!

Read more about the event here.

The Chattanoogan has used the appearance of Zarzour's Cafe in the brand new edition of Roadfood as a jumping off point for an article about Zarzour's and the new book.  The cafe was opened in 1918 and has been in the same family ever since.  Says the Chattanoogan, "Just how Jane and Michael Stern initially found the café is anyone’s guess."  They also refer to Jane and Michael as "road-weary and asphalt-beaten"! 

Daly's is a victim of office/condo development.  Read about it in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

From Michael Stern's review: "As for ambience, the place is supremely casual. Place your order and pay, then carry your own food to a table or a nice counter seat where you have a sunny water view. We thought the service was mighty friendly and we relished the idea of eating regional seafood in so casual a setting. It's what Roadfood is all about."

The New York Times writes about the tension between the Los Angeles taco trucks and the local Mexican restaurants.  The trucks have been operating illegally (but rarely enforced) for the past several years by parking in areas for longer than the allotted 30 or 60 minutes.  Residents have grown to love the convenient and cheap eats, yet, local restaurateurs have found it difficult to compete with these mobile meals-on-wheels.  Read more about it here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/us/03taco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Western Kentucky's infallible guide to good eats, Louis Hatchett Jr., has been keeping us posted about the fate of the Bon Ton Mini Mart restaurant in Henderson, home of some of America's very best fried chicken. Yesterday Louis sent the following very worrisome note (which I have abridged):

I learned today that the Bon Ton Mini Mart will be auctioned off on
June 1, 2008.

More...

As die-hard fans of the Yankee Doodle Coffee Shop in New Haven, Connecticut, we were crushed when we received news of their unexpected closing on January 29th of this year. However, within days, a fund-raising group had been formed (Save the Doodle: www.thedoodle.com) and the word on the street was that the 12-stool diner would likely re-open in a new location around the corner. When we recently turned to the 'net to see if there was any new news about the re-opening, we came across this video of the Lancraft Fife and Drums Corps of North Haven playing Yankee Doodle (which happens to be the state song of Connecticut!) in front of...well...the Doodle. The performance was part of an effort to raise awareness about the Save the Doodle campaign (Warning: this is definitely amateur photography. If movies like the Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield make you queasy, you may want to close your eyes and just give it a listen!)

De Lorenzo Tomato Pies, the legendary 60-year-old Trenton restaurant, recently opened their first branch.  It's located in Robbinsville, NJ, a suburb of Trenton.  The original Hudson Street De Lorenzo's was started by the late Chick De Lorenzo.  Sam Amico (pictured above), Chick's grandson, is running the new Robbinsville location, while his parents remain at the Trenton store.  We put De Lorenzo's on the short list of greatest US pizzerias, but we've yet to try the new place.  Word has been that the crowds have been incredible.

ken8038 recently detailed a less-than-pleasant experience at the new store in the Roadfood Forums, but he also pointed out this rave review in The Newark Star-Ledger.  Biggest piece of news for old-timers: the new store has a bathroom!