Roadfood: The Coast-to-Coast Guide to 800 of the Best Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More
$13.99
by Jane Stern
For road warriors and armchair epicures alike, the seventh edition of Roadfood is the key to finding some of the tastiest treasures in the United States. The indispensable companion for savvy travelers nationwide, Roadfood is now bigger and better than ever. Totally revised and updated, the seventh edition covers over 700 of the country’s best local eateries, including more than 200 brand new listings along with up-to-date descriptions of old favorites. An extended tour of the most affordable, most enjoyable dining options along America’s highways and back roads, Roadfood offers enticing, satisfying meal-time alternatives for chain restaurant–weary travelers. The Sterns provide vivid descriptions and clear regional maps that direct people to the best lobster shacks on the East Coast; the ultimate barbecue joints in the South; the most sizzling steakhouses in the Midwest; and dozens of top-notch diners, hotdog stands, ice cream parlors, and other terrific spots to stop for a bite countrywide. “[ROADFOOD] is a bible for motorists seeking mouth-watering barbecue or homemade pie.” -- USA Today JANE and MICHAEL STERN are the authors of more than forty books, including Square Meals , Chili Nation , and six previous editions of Roadfood . They write the “Roadfood” column in Gourmet , the winner of three James Beard Awards for Best Magazine Series, and are regulars on public radio’s The Splendid Table. They host the interactive Web site, Roadfood.com, which Yahoo declared “site of the year,” and frequently contribute book reviews to the New York Times. They live in Connecticut CONNECTICUT Abbott’s Lobster In the Rough 117 Pearl St. Noank, CT 860—536—7719 LD May—Labor Day, then weekends through mid-October
$$ Abbott’s is renowned for chowder and lobsters, both of which have defined seafood excellence in eastern Connecticut for decades. The chowder is a style unique to southern New England shores: steel-gray, briny, full of clam flavor, plenty of clam meat, and a handful of potatoes; and the lobsters are steamed to perfection. But beyond these glories, Abbott’s posted menu suggests a whole range of other fine seafood items: steamers, mussels, clams and/or oysters on the half shell, hot lobster rolls that are nothing but buttered pink meat on a bun, lobster salad rolls (cool, bound with mayonnaise), crab rolls (hot or cold), and shrimp salad rolls. There is even broiled chicken for the lost soul who finds himself at this great seafood restaurant craving poultry. Abbott’s is a very pretty place to dine al fresco. Seating is at bare wooden tables (although civilized sorts bring their own tablecloths as well as their own wine); the air is filled with the salt smell of shore breezes, and background music is provided by gulls screeching in the sky (but kept away from the tables by invisible netting). Big Dipper Ice Cream Factory 91 Waterbury Rd. Prospect, CT 203—758—3200 $ Here is irrefutable evidence that ice cream makes you happy. The girls behind the counter, no matter how fast they scoop on a busy summer night when the line for cones and cups goes clear out the door, are delighted to be Big Dipper folk. Many of them are high school girls, some are older women who started here in high school but enjoy coming back during vacations because they consider themselves part of the Big Dipper family. You will understand their bliss when first you taste the amazing toasted almond ice cream, which the boss says was originally inspired by a vintage Good Humor bar, but which we say transcends it. If this particular flavor is not your idea of heaven on earth, don’t worry. The Big Dipper has a few dozen others, ranging from silly (cotton candy) to swank (café Vienna, which is coffee and cinnamon) to serious (espresso). All are rich in butterfat (16 percent), but not so rich that they cloy. These are ice creams we can easily eat double and triple dips of, several times a week. The repertoire changes daily, but you always can count on toasted almond. Blackie’s 2200 Waterbury Rd. Cheshire, CT 203—699—1819 LD (closed Fridays)
$ Blackie’s just may serve the best hot dog in Connecticut, a state with some of the highest hot dog consciousness in the nation. While there are a couple of other items on the menu (hamburgers, cheeseburgers), hot dogs are so entirely the specialty of the house that most regular customers sit down at the counter and simply call out a number, indicating how many they want. The dogs are pink Hummel-brand plumpies that are boiled in oil to the point that they literally blossom with flavor as their outside surface bursts apart. They are served plain in basic buns, and it is up to each customer to spoon out mustard and relish from condiment trays that are set out all along the counter. That’s the really good part about dining at Blackie’s: dressing the dogs. The mustard is excellent, and we recommend a modest bed of it applied to the top of each wiener, all the better for the relis
$$ Abbott’s is renowned for chowder and lobsters, both of which have defined seafood excellence in eastern Connecticut for decades. The chowder is a style unique to southern New England shores: steel-gray, briny, full of clam flavor, plenty of clam meat, and a handful of potatoes; and the lobsters are steamed to perfection. But beyond these glories, Abbott’s posted menu suggests a whole range of other fine seafood items: steamers, mussels, clams and/or oysters on the half shell, hot lobster rolls that are nothing but buttered pink meat on a bun, lobster salad rolls (cool, bound with mayonnaise), crab rolls (hot or cold), and shrimp salad rolls. There is even broiled chicken for the lost soul who finds himself at this great seafood restaurant craving poultry. Abbott’s is a very pretty place to dine al fresco. Seating is at bare wooden tables (although civilized sorts bring their own tablecloths as well as their own wine); the air is filled with the salt smell of shore breezes, and background music is provided by gulls screeching in the sky (but kept away from the tables by invisible netting). Big Dipper Ice Cream Factory 91 Waterbury Rd. Prospect, CT 203—758—3200 $ Here is irrefutable evidence that ice cream makes you happy. The girls behind the counter, no matter how fast they scoop on a busy summer night when the line for cones and cups goes clear out the door, are delighted to be Big Dipper folk. Many of them are high school girls, some are older women who started here in high school but enjoy coming back during vacations because they consider themselves part of the Big Dipper family. You will understand their bliss when first you taste the amazing toasted almond ice cream, which the boss says was originally inspired by a vintage Good Humor bar, but which we say transcends it. If this particular flavor is not your idea of heaven on earth, don’t worry. The Big Dipper has a few dozen others, ranging from silly (cotton candy) to swank (café Vienna, which is coffee and cinnamon) to serious (espresso). All are rich in butterfat (16 percent), but not so rich that they cloy. These are ice creams we can easily eat double and triple dips of, several times a week. The repertoire changes daily, but you always can count on toasted almond. Blackie’s 2200 Waterbury Rd. Cheshire, CT 203—699—1819 LD (closed Fridays)
$ Blackie’s just may serve the best hot dog in Connecticut, a state with some of the highest hot dog consciousness in the nation. While there are a couple of other items on the menu (hamburgers, cheeseburgers), hot dogs are so entirely the specialty of the house that most regular customers sit down at the counter and simply call out a number, indicating how many they want. The dogs are pink Hummel-brand plumpies that are boiled in oil to the point that they literally blossom with flavor as their outside surface bursts apart. They are served plain in basic buns, and it is up to each customer to spoon out mustard and relish from condiment trays that are set out all along the counter. That’s the really good part about dining at Blackie’s: dressing the dogs. The mustard is excellent, and we recommend a modest bed of it applied to the top of each wiener, all the better for the relis