Regional Eats Road Trip

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-The Roads of America: Cruising while Chowing

Welcome to Travel Month at S'C'&C. Through the end of July we'll hit the road as hard as ever as we set out to seek and eat some of the great treats offered throughout the region and also Canada. Longtime readers know that when we're on the road one of the things we love to do is check out the popular locally loved spots serving up something specific to that town, city or domain. In fact we're way backed up so here's a post featuring seven specialty treats to eat found on the Great American Food Trail.
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The Louisville Hot Brown Sandwich

I took a ride down to Nashville to celebrate at my cousins bachelor party last year and as the driver of one car I made sure I had some food stops we couldnt find elsewhere planned rather than the usual chains and even worse gas sation snacks some people eat while riding. Lynn's Paradise Cafe in Louisville, KY was where we stopped for lunch on the way down.It just so happens that place is up for sale bc Lynn is moving on to her next adventure. If you ever wanted to own a piece of roadfood now's your chance. Here's my pitch.


Louisville, KY

If you haven't been or read about Lynn's it's a quirky little spot in a old school turned hippie neighborhood. It's big and there's a bar area (liquor is served) along with a good amount of tables inside and an outdoor patio as well. Inside as you first enter there's a large area with all sorts of those things you buy someone for a quick laugh, haha, then its never seen nor thought of again. I chose a Bloody to start my meal and was expecting something big time with the double digit pricetag and the mention of 36 ingredients it takes to make it. Not that I was really buying the whole ingredient thing I found the Bloody to be average at best. Nothing like you find in Wisconsin. 

Inside and outside dining

A bloody way to start the meal

I wasn't sure if the entire gimmick was why people love this place but it was all good from here. My second option would of been the fried green tomato BLT and that's was got by the three others with me. I enjoyed my half of a half sandwich that I tried and thought the sides of which they give you a choice of with your sandwich order were pretty good too. The cheesy grits and onions rings that is.


Fried Green Tomato BLT

But I couldn't go thru Louisville and not try one of their famous signature 'Hot Brown' sandwiches. Created in the 1920's at the Brown Hotel the original was concocted as an alternative option to the typical late night ham and cheese offering of that era. Its a take on Welsh Rarebit that consists of bread topped with fresh sliced turkey, layered with mornay sauce and cheese and served with bacon and in some cases tomatoes and other things on top. They offer their own version at Lynn's with sourdough bread on the bottom and fresh roasted turkey in between locally made cheese.

According to the menu this was named the "best sandwich in America" by Alton Brown and while I'm not sure if that's due to the name connection I am sure it takes a knife and fork to eat it so its not really a sandwich anyway. But eat it I did. I thought it was pretty damn good and loved the bites where I could get some bread, turkey, tomato and bacon up in there. I'd get it again if I ever stop in and I just may when I find myself back out this way.


The Paradise Brown "Sandwich"
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Southern Style Boiled Peanuts

Spied and tried alongside the road in the middle of Florida

I'd never tried the southern treat boiled peanuts until this past winter. A trip down to the sunshine state brought us to Tampa for a Cuban Sandwich Shuffle and then into South Florida for some local eats followed up with all sorts of seafood and fish down in the Keys. During this trip I spied a place selling boiled peanuts on the side of the road in the middle of the state and decided to give them a try. Awesome! But not something you should try and eat while driving :)

a Southern Specialty: Boiled Peanuts

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The Gom Sandwich, Indiana Tenderloins & Ice Cream

On the way back from Nashville along I-65 we stopped in at another popular roadfood rec called Zaharakos in Columbus, Indiana. The town that gave us Tony Stewart y'alls! Ha I keed and am not a NASCAR fan but you know they take that serious in these parts.


Longtime favorite in Columbus, IN

Zaharakos takes Ice Cream parlors serious so I'd always wanted to stop into the historic landmark in downtown Columbus which is about a five minute ride off the highway. Founded in 1900 the place is as well upkept as any old time ice cream parlor I've been too.


As we enter

Zaharakos also doubles as a museum and has some very nice old school fountains and other soda shop memorabilia on display throughout the place and a candy/gift store too. You can take a seat at the fountain or sit a table with waiter service. The pic up above is of only one room with there being another with an old school no longer in use fully loaded soda fountain on display and tables for larger parties to sit in between the old soda fountains.

Taken into another time

The place was very nice inside and brought us back into another era sitting at the fountain. I'm not a big ice cream guy and since we still had a little bit of a ride back I only went with a real soda fountain style made Green River. Service was a little spotty but it wasn't awful either, just a few miscues and some stuff that needed to be cleaned up. The signature food item of the house is the 'Gom Sandwich' which is Zaharakos version of a Sloppy Joe served on thick toasted white bread. There's debate about whether the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is a product of Indiana or Iowa. Both take claim to the throne of which state makes the best so you tend to find them on menus throughout each.

Old School

I liked the idea of making a grilled cheese with Sloppy Joe meat but didn't think the $7 (w/ cheese) pricetag on a sloppy Joe with chips in Central Indiana was accurate but whatever, it was tasty. The pork tenderloin even though it was homemade was just ok. From my experiences thus far, Iowa handles Indiana pretty easily in that game. If you like old school Midwest towns with the long gone independent movie theaters (there's a cool one here) and ice cream parlors like Zaharakos stop in Columbus Indiana if you get the chance.

Gom Sandwich & Homemade Indiana Tenderloin

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Iowa Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

If you go to a place that serves food in Iowa odds are they have a tenderloin on the menu. It doesnt matter if its a bar or or some public schools lunch menu, they eat these everywhere there. I got to try a couple loved ones in Des Moines a while back and have looked forward to more since. There's even a bible for Iowa 'loins if you're ever on the road there and want to try one. I ate another renowned place when I stopped in at TC's Point After in Dewitt.


Dewitt, IA

Dewitt is a small little town (Duh) with a typical little Main street. Subway, barber shop etc and  TC's just a few doors down. Hey, I guess you cant eat a tenderloin at TC's constantly but I sure as hell would if the option was their 2009 2nd place at the Iowa State Fair Tenderloin sandwich or some shit served inside some foam from Subway. "They take a whole pork loin and cut of about a six ounce center portion of pork, run it through a tenderizer front and back, and then coat it with a secret homemade batter." I've actually been to the spot that beat TC's out (Goldie's Ice Cream shop) and remember both for their juicy factor which is something you don't always get with tenderloins.


TC's Famous Breaded 'loin

TC's is a nice place to have as your local tavern, typical Midwest vibe inside, this one with lots of old wood and on the darker side as far as lighting with a sports theme to it. Plenty of bar league trophies and Hawkeye stuff on display as well as memorabilia from the not so lovable losers over on Addison. They love their Cubbie baseball in Iowa, as anyone who lives near Wrigley knows. They come by the busload and over the years all their walking around, taking pictures and eating and drinking, while watching bad baseball at Wrigley has caused cracks in the stadium structure and sidewalks around it. So next time around someone bring me over a tenderloin from TC's and I'll be a little more welcoming to all the big bone-ded individuals with their "(Insert some random tavern here) in Iowa Cubs Trip 2013" shirts on. I keed. TC's = Top Notch.


Not just a great tenderloin, a great sandwich...
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Springfield Style Corn Dogs

Not a bad fallback found on the side of the road in Sterling, IL after catching a couple famous fried chicken places at hours they werent open. Aunt TT's Concessions is a popular place for a quick lunch. She fries some damn fine corn dogs (Born in Springfield, IL) made with Vienna Beef franks.You can find her on Facebook.

Fresh Fried Corn Dogs found around the Sauk Valley Region

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Great Lakes Fish Sandwiches

The Roadfood rec'd Jolly Roger Seafood House in Port Clinton, OH

I took a road trip to Toronto recently (stay tuned) which took us thru Ohio and into Buffalo on day one. The first of many food stops was the longtime Roadfood favorite Jolly Roger Seafood House in Port Clinton Ohio. Having never been to neither I chose it over New Sandusky Fish Company which was also en route. If I had my choice we would of done both but I'm sure there will be another time.


Waiting for my order...they do an excellent breading/frying job here

It was just me and she so we decided to split both a lake perch and walleye sandwich. I made one a meal and upgraded to their onion rings and got a side of fresh fried 'shrooms too. The menu isn't big and thus what they do, they do right. The onion rings and mushrooms were both excellent examples and the sandwiches were too. I preferred the lake perch which was so simple it would seem anyone can make them like this but I never had a (Great Lakes) fish sandwich so good. Perfectly fried fresh filets between a soft locally sourced bun with their homemade tarter sauce was all that was needed. Roadfood at it's finest.


Lake Perch Sandwich plate with Onion Rings

Fresh Breaded 'Shrooms

Spots like this serving fresh caught fish from the backyard are found throughout the Great Lakes states. Check my report on lake perch in Northwest Indiana HERE.

Walleye Sandwich
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Wisconsin Farmers Markets Food

Wisconsin is a great place to shop local when stuff is in season. They have one of the countries best farmers markets in Madison and smaller well stocked ones throughout the state. I stopped into the Hudson Farmers Market last summer and got some really nice squash and just had to try some fried dough from the Wisconsin Wontons stand. Both the fresh fruit filled ones and the chopped jalapenos with cheese curd wontons were a real treat to eat and so 'sconnie like.

Wisconsin Grown Produce Stuffed Wontons

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Lynn's Paradise Cafe
984 Barret Avenue
Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 583-3447

Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor & Museum
329 Washington St
Columbus, IN 47201
(812) 378-1900

TC's Point After
719 6th Avenue
De Witt, IA 52742
(563) 659-8188

Jolly Roger Seafood House
1737 E Perry St
Port Clinton, OH 43452
(419) 732-3382

Hudson Farmers Market
South Lot of Faith Community Church
777 Carmichael Road
Hudson, WI  54016
(612) 203-9030 

Mango Chutney Lamb Burgers

 --Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

As the food media dies down the food world grows larger. We still need professionals reporting on food but we dont need 100's of them to tell us how to eat anymore. The www is a hub for finding good food, you just dont need someone to find it for you anymore. Cookbooks are still valuable but you can find any recipe you need on the 'net. Today we try a few I found. I made some some homemade mango chutney recently after having a taste of an awesome batch up in Toronto. Since this was my first go around I made what seemed to be a pretty easy recipe.

Homemade Mango Chutney

I was really surprised by how good this turned out. It didn't last a week in my fridge due to the fact its such a versatile condiment. My main objective for its use was to make lamb burgers which I was doing but then someone on twitter suggested I try making bhel puri with it as well. So before I knew it I had plans for dinner.

Ingredients for Rak's Kitchen Bhel Puri recipe

What a great summertime snack! For the burgers I followed a recipe with ground lamb and mixed up a paste consisting of ginger, garlic and onion. I then spiced the meat/paste mixture with chilli powder, garam masala and cumin. Molded together with bread crumbs and an egg. Spread the Mango Chutney on top part of a toasted bun and then the grilled onions go on the patty. Serve with London Pub style steak sauce. Got all the ingredients but the lamb at Patel brothers on Devon where I also grabbed some tindora to roast with it. Had to have an order of channa masala from Ghareeb Nawaz too since I was so near. Good to be back grilling.


London Pub Style Mango Chutney Lamb Burger with Sensational Sides
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Soluri & Sons

-The Sammy's of Chi

A Bridgeport favorite from the 90's has returned and the residents around the area couldn't be happier. Well maybe if the White Sox won a series. But they cant seem to do that huh? Well at least they got a winner in Soluri & Sons Italian Deli now open again on Halsted.

a popular neighborhood spot in Bridgeport is back

You might not see their small storefront on the 3500 block of south Halsted if just cruising by but you're going to want to know where this place is. As you walk in you're greeted by those behind the counter with the menu painted on the right side of the wall. Sandwiches are what they do here and they take them seriously. Every last ounce of meat is weighted so their meat to bread ratio is spot on and your sandwich is sensational.

Classic Italian

My first trip thru I had to go classic so I went with the Italian of the seven poor boys (sandwiches) offered. Could this be the new king of the sub sandwich in Chicago? I'm not taking sides but it can certainly be mentioned when talking about who's is best. The bread comes from most folks favorite in D'Amato's. High end meats and cheese are topped with house dressing and dont skip option of their homemade giardiniera, its fantastic. They also sell D'Amato's pizza bread and make homemade Italian sausage for your grill. Good to have y'all back!

The insides

Soluri & Sons Italian Deli
3549 S. Halsted St
Chicago, IL

(773) 247-8777

Website

Phil's Last Stand

-In Chicago: Every Dog Has it's Day

Phil Ashbach knows Chicago style fast food. The man who's first name dons Phil's Last Stand on Chicago avenue in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood spent a lifetime eating at every last hamburger and hot dog stand that this city has. He's been in the hot dog game for over 40 years now having started off as co-owner of Herm's Hot Dog Palace in Skokie. After quitting that he helped raise his family while continuing to eat plenty around town, the man isn't small. As the kids grew up and went their own ways Phil decided to get back in the game with the opening of one last stand. 

Instant Classic on Chicago avenue

A sign inside the place tells the story of Phil and how he's the original "foodie expert". Before social media was buzzing over some drugged out chef making some small plate dish that mixes goose poop with sea urchin, Phil was exploring Chicago's food scene while sacrificing pounds to his frame. You can tell with the food. This is a classic Chicago style fast food shack. To be that you need a top notch hot dog. Phil's does char dogs which rival the Wieners Circle. The fresh cut fries are perfect and while you wont get any vanilla shakes from him you will get a laugh as he's usually there manning the register.


Char Dog with fresh cut fries

Aside from the usual offerings theres some other stuff here you wont find elsewhere. They do fried shrimp which is a popular thing to eat in Chicago. They also happen to have some secret menu items ala in and Out and their fried shrimp po' boy is one of those. I dont know if po' boy is the right word to describe this sandwich. I guess its kind of like one had mated with a frita cubana. The shoestring potatoes with secret sauce and their pretty powerful panko crusted fried shrimp (avail. by the pound) make for a tasty treat.

Secret Menu Shrimp Po' Boy

Phil's Fried Shrimp

The menu item for me that sets Phil's apart from many is their hamburger. They're made in the style of In and Out which I actually wasn't all that impressed with when I went in Las Vegas. But the difference here is they get a little taste of Chicago by cooking the patties on a char grill. It makes a huge difference and pairs well with the thousand island style sauce they use to make these "fatso" style burgers. A double with cheese and a medium lemonade and grape mixed drink is all I need when I'm hungry and in the mood for some fast food. I'm honered to wear Phil's old crown as the king of Chicago style fast food and bless his last stand. Amen.

Double Fatso with Cheese? YES PLEASE!

Phil's Last Stand
2258 West Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 245-3287
Website 

Chesterton's European Market

-Exploring NW Indiana

I took a walk thru the popular European Market in historic downtown Chesterton which is open Saturdays in the beginning of May thru the end of October. This is about an hour drive from Chicago and not far from the lake so if anyone is looking for a fun Saturday activity, the beach and a trip here aint bad.

A quick trip thru Chesterton's European Market

There were a few local farmers here selling that which they've grown but not as many as I would have liked to see. Maybe the number increases as summer and fresh fruits and vegetables come into full swing. There seemed to be alot of people selling canned goods and other fun stuff that they made elsewhere and sell here. The food options are pretty damn good. There's an Amish corner here where they have a few tents set up selling goods. The soft pretzel from Ben's was as good of any I have had.

Soft Pretzel from Ben's

Right next to Ben's was a tent where they were offering what I thought looked to be like the best buy at the Market on our visit. An Amish lady had a package that included a huge two pound bag of homemade noodles along with a dozen fresh eggs and a 1 pound stick of butter for $20. If I had access to keeping those cool and safe I would have bought but I didn't so next time. The most popular spot to eat at here has to be the Rolling Stonebaker.

The Rolling Stonebaker in da house

The couple that runs this amazing wood fired pizza truck that is based out of Beverly Shores is doing things right. One day they decided to chase their dream and now they're living it. You can find them roadside in Beverly Shores (Corner of US Highway 12 and Broadway) weather permitting. They also have a 2nd truck which parks at the Market each Saturday its running. Their market special pizza is always special but it they're out of that the margherita and regular mainstays are all fantastic.

Pizza Margherita is good but their weekend market specials are great

I couldn't help but notice while we were walking around that the place didn't smell like a European market, it smelled like some street corner in the Caribbean. Then we passed some guys on the corner across from the antique shop who had a whole setup going for island grilled jerk chicken. It smelled too damn good not to stop.

Island Grilled Jerk Chicken Stand

Along with the jerk they also serve KC style BBQ but everyone was eating the chicken which was making the place smell great so thats what I tried. It was very good. While I would of liked maybe a little more punch from the sauce itself the chicken was moist and the tastes of the islands were there. Fun day.

Mi a go a back

Chesterton's European Market

Website

Trencherman

-Grubbing in Chicago 
New to the 'Scene'

Sure we like to cover the less talked about mom and pop spots over here but that doesn't mean we dont get to the upscale new places taking the city by storm. Of course when we do it's never comped and isn't some special blogger invite party. I've never gone to one of those despite being invited to many. Free food isn't what we set out to do and I like to give places plenty of time to find their groove. Exposing good food is the only real goal. Our family did a Mothers Day dinner* at Trencherman recently and everyone left impressed.

On North Avenue in Bucktown

Located in an old bathhouse Trencherman is continuing the weird that went on there back when. Run by two brothers their menu isn't normal and some things make you wonder if that would work? Yep it pretty much all does so in perfect harmony like the '96 Bulls. Its an eclectic mix of pairings you might not have ever seen elsewhere. Their signature dish the Pickled Tots have remained on the menu since the opening and are the perfect plate to try so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Pickle Tots, Chicken Breast Bresaola, Red Onion Yogurt, Scallions

If I went back I'd have to have the tots again. One of my favorite dishes in the city it sounds odd and thats ok because it's tastes are beyond normal. Other appetizers tried were the potato gnocchi which I thought was excellent as did most everyone else and then a plate of beets. Those I wasn't expecting much from but combined with burrata, black olives, chopped pistachios and nssturtium...what? They're flowers with a subtle radish flavor. It all worked out. I was actually fascinated with a plate of beets

Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms, Ham, English Peas and Tarragon

The Beets were Bangin'

We had a table of 8 which allowed for tastes of most everyone plates. They almost batted 1.000. The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the fried chicken. It wasn't bad it just didn't do anything for me and was pretty normal compared to everything else. The menu switches up but the aged duck, the pork loin, steak and walleye were all wonderful. My mom got a prixe fixe course that included a piece of sea bass cooked with miso that she said was one of the best pieces of fish she ever ate. The also have a bar with a separate menu and do brunch. Everyone agreed we'd have no problem going back.

Fried Chicken and Grits

Pan Roasted Aged in house Duck Breast

Pork Shoulder

Hangar Steak

Walleye with Bacon

Prixe Fixe Special Miso Sea Bass

Dessert

*Ok so the meal was comped...by my dad.

Trencherman
2039 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 661-1540
Website

R U Hungry?

 -Grubbing in Chicago
Where the locals eat.

As I was cruising thru the Back of the Yards on business recently I noticed a place advertising their homemade food and took note. It was a Sunday so they were closed, I decided to return a few days later while going south on 90. I was greeted by some nice folks behind the glass who were happy to have me.


51st and Hermitage in Back of the Yards

Glad I decided to stop in here. It'll be in my regular rotation when in the area. Which isn't often but nonetheless others are. "Fast Food with a taste of Soul" is what they do. As we got to talking the owner explained how aside from the gyro cone "everything we make comes from scratch". Menu has a few Chicago food staples including some Chicago Style Soul Food. Available in the winter the Pac Man is a sliced charred Polish sausage topped with chili and onions (option of cheese) served over Dirty Rice. Fish/chicken/pork sandwiches + burgers are all hand breaded/packed to order.


Chicken Sandwich

Wendy should be ashamed. This is the best damn spicy chicken sandwich I've ever had. Seasoned with spices mixed into a cornmeal coating this sandwich definitely had soul. It could of got a deal with Vee-Jay Records if it had been around back then. Not only is the food made from scratch but its a steal of a deal. I got an order of wings on a recent visit for $3 with fries. Well worth it.

 Fresh Fried Wangs

Soul Food offerings vary by day. A Mama someone comes in with her recipes on the weekends (Fri & Sat). I took a smothered chop with dirty rice and green beans lunch plate to go and enjoyed it. Both the sides shined and the chop was tender with the sauce similar to a gumbo base. For $10 total for the sandwich and chop I thought the place was great. Real red Kool-Aid is available for $1 for an 16oz and $2 for a 32. If sugar water isn't for you I hope Wildwood pop will do. Some good ballistic glass dining.


Smothered Chop and Sides

R U Hungry
1724 W 51st St
Chicago, IL 60609
(773) 434-4800