Roadfood Digest

Sunday marked the latest gustatory get-together of several New England eat-and-greeters. The caravan started out at Kane's in Saugus, with fresh donuts that put the chains to shame, before heading to Chinatown to try some traditional dim sum at China Pearl. Stuffed full of Char Siu Bao (BBQ pork buns) and Jin Dui (Chinese donuts with red bean filling), the group followed Cecif on a walking tour of Boston's revamped Central Artery as well as the North End. And in the end, after shedding a few calories, the day culminated with the ultimate North End pizza face-off between Ernesto's and Pizzeria Regina.

For more details, LOTS of food pictures, and to find out who won the Great North End Challenge, check out Billyboy's Boston trip reports: Part 1 (Billyboy takes Beantown) and Part 2 (Kane's Donuts), with more sure to come!

The weather is getting warmer, the sun is setting later, and from the looks of the forums, it appears to be the season for Meet and Eats! Among the places where Roadfooders are looking to congregate?

• Cecif and Bethgrd are leading the New England masses through Boston on June 1st to taste test the eclectic triumvirate of Boston's best donuts, dim sum, and pizza
• Mike S will be in Washington for the Nationals game on June 6th
• X1 is looking to share some crawfish with fellow food fiends in New Orleans (June 12-17)
• Wanderingjew and The Travelin Man will be cruising through Kansas City (June 14-15th), Omaha (June 16 - 18) and Denver (June 19-June 21) for some baseball and beef (click here for the full itinerary)

With more meet-ups sure to come, please chime in and let everyone know where you'll be and, more importantly, what you'll be eating!

I know that Chris and some of the other enthusiastic eaters on today's Connecticut culinary tour are going to be posting more detailed pictures and descriptions, but I couldn't help showing this photo I took after we all ate hot dogs at Blackie's. Alas, I was only able to share this small meal on the day's menu, but Chris was kind enough to bring me a bag of donuts from Dottie's Diner. After a pair of Blackie's dogs -- well done, smothered with mustard and hot relish -- I had to return to Danbury for a normal lunch ... feeling sorry for myself because all these happy folks were headed for steamed cheeseburgers at Ted's. (Anyway, by the time I got to lunch, the Blackie's dogs and the Dottie's Donuts had pretty much decimated my appetite.)

The Saturday sold-out eating tour was praised as our best ever.  Over 60 of us visited several BBQ pits (and a donut shop), for legendary sausage, brisket, prime rib, and pie.  Click on the "more" link below for a couple dozen pictures of the event. More...

Friday nights sold-out event at Threadgill's was an evening to remember for Roadfood diehards.  Approximately 50% of the participants, almost all who traveled from outside of Texas, were attending their second, third and even fourth eating tour!  Click on the "more" link below for a couple dozen pictures of the event.  More...

With only one mere work week standing between us and the 2008 Connecticut Eat-and-Greet, we felt it would be a good time to re-extend an invitation to all lovers of good food. The gastronomic journey will begin at Dottie's Diner in Woodbury on Saturday, May 3rd at 11:00 a.m. (where we plan to rekindle our infatuation with their chicken pies and crunchy homemade donuts). From there, we will head to Big Dipper Ice Cream Factory in Prospect for Toasted Almond ice cream, Blackie's in Cheshire for peppery relish-slathered hot dogs, and Ted's in Meriden for their sinfully sloppy steamed cheeseburgers (see Michael Stern's photo above). And, if room still exists in the collective stomach at the end of our travels, our final stop will be in Manchester for a pair of tomato and white clam pies at Pepe's Pizzeria.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday!

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Many excellent adjectives can be applied to a length of Louie Mueller's sausage, but tender is not one of them -- as evidenced by the damage done to one of the flimsy plastic forks when only a modest amount of pressure was applied. (Forks really are anathema in these meat-market style barbecues). The beef inside Mueller's sausage is nice and soft -- and insanely juicy -- but the natural casing that encloses it is tough. Chewy. Rugged. More...

The sign on the exit door above expresses my feelings at the end of the Roadfood.com eating tour of barbecues east of Austin. For me, it was the best expedition yet: great food and wonderful company, so many of whom are becoming old friends and familiar travel companions. Thanks to all of you who came on the trip, and do come back soon ... on our next one (destination still to be determined). Does anyone remember which of the places we visited had the gracious cow and pig on its door?

I shall happily be the first person to post a Roadfood Digest entry about the great Austin eating event that began last night at Threadgill's. Pictured above is comedian Bill Kirchenbauer, a longtime Roadfood fan, who graciously took time out from celebrating his wedding anniversary to entertain the approximately 90 people who came to greet, eat, and meet fellow food fanciers. Bill has cracked me up ever since I first saw him on the Comedy Central show "Make Me Laugh," and he had me laughing so hard I barely ate my banana pudding. I thought the food at the banquet was swell -- especially the chicken fried steak -- but alas, I was too distracted to take any pictures to add to the current Threadgill's review at Roadfood.com, which is lacking good food pix. I did, however, see Cliff (buffetbuster) taking lots of food pictures, so I definitely look forward to seeing them here, with a review, or as part of one of his mouth-watering trip reports. Today: some of the best BBQ on earth!