Roadfood Originals

From the vintage photo collection: Grace Proffitt, who created eastern Tennessee’s Ridgewood Barbecue, gives the once-over to Nancy Aldrich, whose mother was Polly of Polly's Pancake Parlor, on the set of ABC-TV’s Good Morning, America, circa 1980. The producers had asked us to bring some of our favorite Roadfood restaurateurs to the studio in New York.

Louis’ Lunch Wins First Place in Chowdown Countdown

Travel Channel just aired an intriguing series entitled 101 Tastiest Places to Chowdown, which counted down the finest Roadfood spots (reviewed and unreviewed) around the country. Not surprisingly, 14 of the Top 20 places have previously been reviewed by Roadfood, including Buffalo’s Anchor Bar, Boston’s Durgin-Park, and Kansas City’s Arthur Bryant’s, among others. But the humble Louis’ Lunch in New Haven won the coveted top spot as the birthplace of the hamburger, and we took this opportunity to revisit one of our favorite Elm City haunts for lunch. The place was packed with a large group of Chinese students on an Explorica tour of the city. While waiting for our “cheese works” (that’s a burger with Cheese Whiz, sliced tomato, and grilled onions on white toast), a grandfather and grandson plopped down next to us. “I’m 93 years old,” the old-timer explained, while his grandson recalled not too long ago when the burgers were $2.50 (now $5). The pattie was smaller than on previous visits, but it was incredibly juicy, down to the last morsel. T-shirts with the infamous “No Ketchup” logo are also available.

Problems At A&R In Memphis

A&R Bar-Be-Que of Memphis closed one of its four stores last Saturday after a number of people who consumed food prepared by A&R fell ill and tested positive for salmonella.  The health department is still investigating.  The store that prepared the food in question, and the one that is currently closed, is at 3721 Hickory Hill Road.  The other three stores, including the Roadfood-reviewed branch on Elvis Presley Boulevard, remain open.  For more information see the story at myfoxmemphis.

Personality-Plus Cuisine

I’m always inclined to like a place that anthropomorphizes the food it serves, or at least honors the animal you are about to eat with a statue. I’m pretty sure that Fitzgerald Potato Chips are no longer made, but all the other critters above are emblems of restaurants included in 500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late (And the Very Best Places to Eat Them). Of course, the ultimate edible animal was Saturday Night Live’s Cluckin Chicken.

Ben’s Chili Bowl Hits the Jackpot…

… and President Obama pulled the lever.  A little over a week ago, then President-elect Obama dined on chili-drenched half-smokes with District Mayor Adrian Fenty.  The lunchtime visit received practically non-stop coast-to-coast media attention, with the result that Ben’s Chili Bowl has become one of the must-visit attractions on every DC tourist’s itinerary, alongside the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian.  Lines at the famed eatery have been running up to an hour-and-a-half long!  See more in this ABC 7 News video.

The photo above is from the Roadfood.com review of Ben’s.

"A Hamburger is the Most Universal Symbol of What it Means to be an American"

So said Josh Ozersky as he took ABC’s Nightline on a New York City hamburger tour last night (1/8/09).  The main thrust of the piece is the rise of the hamburger as the economy sinks.  They visit The Spotted Pig, Shake Shack (pictured above from the Roadfood.com review), Pat La Frieda Wholesale Meats, and City Burger, where they serve La Frieda’s dry-aged beef burgers.  You can see the whole seven-minute-plus video here.

One Restaurant Deals With the Bad Economy

Eden Alley, the vegetarian restaurant in Kansas City’s Unity Temple, discusses ways they’ve tried to address the bad economy, and the resulting drop in business, without laying off employees.  See the WDAF-TV video and interview.  One thing they did was reduce portion sizes, not something you’d expect to hear from a Roadfood restaurant but, then, Eden Alley is not at all your typical Roadfood restaurant.  Pictured above is a squeezed-to-order glass of watermelon, lemon, carrot, and apple juices, from Michael Stern’s Roadfood.com review of Eden Alley.

Machine Shed on the Travel Channel

Food Paradise, a show on the Travel Channel, recently taped a segment at the Iowa Machine Shed of Urbandale, Iowa (Roadfood.com review;  photo above).  The show will feature America’s best breakfasts.  Read more at The Des Moines Register.

Jake’s Famous Crawfish of Portland, OR Robbed at Gunpoint

Jake’s Famous Crawfish (Roadfood.com review; photo above), the Portland, Oregon fish house that’s been operating for over a century, was robbed at gunpoint early this morning, after the restaurant closed, by a man dressed as a Jake’s employee.  Nobody was injured.  Read more on the KGW website (where you can also watch a video news report) and the KPTV website, or check out KPTV’s news video segment.

Evelyn’s Drive-In Sings Out For Area Food Pantries

This weekend Evelyn’s Drive-In (Roadfood.com review) of Tiverton, Rhode Island will host Singing Out Against Hunger for the sixth consecutive year.  Day and night for three days, musicians will perform free of charge; those attending are asked to bring non-perishable food items and/or purchase raffle tickets to support area food banks that help local families in need.  For more information, and performance schedules, see the Singing Out Against Hunger brochure (part one and part two).

Evelyn’s was recently recognized by the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association for “their passion for excellence in the kitchen and their commitment to their community”  through their ongoing participation in Singing Out Against Hunger.  See the story in Providence Business News.

Lastly, for those who may have missed the Evelyn’s Drive-in segment on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, click below to watch it (from the Evelyn’s Drive-In website).  Pay particular attention to the freaky, and fascinating, lobster chow mein made with local Hoo-Mee chow mein sauce.