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August 01, 2005
Road Trip 2005: Food Finds
In some cases, I had guides to cool local places I had saved from magazine articles. In other places, I chanced upon some very cool food purveyors. If you're traveling, check these out:
The Texas Roadhouse in Lima, Ohio (and probably other places). Not the best ribs I ever had but they do get an A- for atmosphere and points for good introductions. When they learned I hadn't been in before, they brought me a two-rib sampler of their baby back ribs, and gave me a back of their peanuts to take home. Not bad! It's the kind of place where you crack peanuts and leave the shells on the floor, but the beer selections could definitely use an upgrade. If you go, be sure to mention that first time thing. It's kind of cool to watch what happens next.
Boulder, Colorado has many great places to eat, but the one I was interested in was the West End Tavern which used to have the best view of the Flatirons in the city. That was before some idiot decided to allow an office building to go up next door that was two stories taller. Originally it would have completely obliterated the view, but after a long legal battle, a corner of the new building was shaved so the deck still has a view. Progress often sucks. But, though the view may be more limited, the food is still great. I had a wonderful plate of Asian Barbecue Shrimp that would have been enough to call dinner for only $5, and a pint of locally brewed Zolo ale for just $2. Such a bargain!
In the small hamlet of Pt. Arena I found this wonderful place called The Daily Record. It's both a grocery store and a cafe. The store is stocked with organic and natural foods, locally provided whenever possible. I camped at Manchester State Park, and went back to this town to find something for dinner. I had a choice of an ordinary looking mini-mart and this:
How could I not go inside? Fabulous food - Chicken Pesto Panini for dinner, a breakfast croissant the next morning with great bacon and the best latte I have ever had anywhere. If you find yourself on California 1 north of the bay, it's worth a stop.
Cannon Beach, Oregon, is home to a marvelous bakery, but even better it's the home of Bruce's Candy Kitchen, where they make real, soft, fresh, made-on-the-premises salt water taffy. I've been buying candy here since I was a kid. The taffy is the best, but they also offer an assortment of chocolates, including dark chocolate seafoam and cashew crabs. Yummy! (Seafoam is a light, airy, crunchy candy made from spun honey, then dipped in chocolate. I only buy it an Bruce's and only in small quantities because it's soooooo good). Even if you don't stop in Cannon Beach for any other reason, you need to drop by Bruce's and indulge.
I've raved about McMenamins Edgefield before but in the summer there's an additional experience. The Loading Dock Grill features barbecue and burgers. I enjoyed a wonderful smoked pork loin sandwich with a blueberry barbecue sauce that was amazing. Unfortunately, they don't pack the sauce to go. Fortunately, McMenamins does now bottle three of its great ales. 22 oz. to go. Whee! Edgefield is just east of Portland, Oregon, off of I-84 at Troutdale. It's a great place to spend a night before heading east through the Columbia River Gorge. The Loading Dock has live music on summer evenings. Well worth the visit. Great food, beer, wine, atmosphere, and artwork. Edgefield has it all.
In Hungry Horse, Montana, there is a unique store called The Huckleberry Patch, where they sell a variety of goodies made locally in Montana from wild huckleberries. Ice cream, taffy, jelly beans, huckleberry honey, huckleberry creme honey, jam, preserves, tea, and some other stuff I'm forgetting by now. If you can't get there in person, you can order gifts for yourself and others online. Tasty stuff. They used to have a restaurant that was known all over the area for good home cooking and great pie. The restaurant is gone now, but the pie filling is still available.
More accessible for most of us, and worth the trip, is Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. Zingerman's isn't a single place, but a cooperative of several businesses, all run by folks with a passion for what they do. I found Zingerman's Roadhouse in my usual way - I was driving up a road looking for something else, saw the neon sign outside that said "Really Good American Food" and was intrigued. I was delightfully surprised to find this is no ordinary roadhouse. Friendly, comfortable, with an extensive menu of great choices, this roadhouse is a little more upscale than I expected. Planked wild west coast salmon? In Michigan? Or how about cheese flights, featuring small batch cheeses from The Creamery? Or fresh artisan bread from Zingerman's Bakehouse? No fancy pasta titles for this place, but the Mac and Jack is a dish worthy of any bistro, featuring smoked free range chicken, green chiles and fresh Monterey Jack cheese. It was so flavorful and really good. They encourage diners to ask for samples of anything interesting but unfamiliar. I tried their eastern North Carolina choped pork barbecue - the kind with a vinegar based sauce. It was good, but I opted for the comfort food instead. I got the lowdown on the whole organization, how the original founders opened Zingerman's Deli, nearer the University of Michigan campus, and added partners who were interested in starting other restaurant businesses. It's a great success story for all concerned, and the food is incredible. I visited the Bakehouse and the Creamery before leaving Ann Arbor for home. I brought back three kinds of bread and three kinds of great cheese. The Creamery also makes gelato (which I couldn't bring all the way home) that is superb. Intense flavor, soft, dense, wonderfully creamy texture. I tried coconut and dulce de leche. Insufficient superlatives. Good eats, indeed.
Posted by cageyer at August 1, 2005 06:09 PM
Comments
rob and I ate at a great bakery in Cannon beach--I'm thinking it was the same one. Damn good espresso as I recall...
Posted by: bridget at August 11, 2005 02:29 PM
Bruce's Candy Kitchen is indeed delish. I cannot WAIT until my trip up the coast (when this job is done) so I can visit the great little places on 101. The last time I was in Cannon Beach, my then boyfriend was on a diet kick and wouldn't let me buy anything there. Notice how the boyfriend is gone and Bruce's endures? Just reading this post has my mouth watering. Just a month and a half left :-)
Posted by: Leah at August 11, 2005 07:49 PM