** THIS RESTAURANT IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED ** In our never-ending search for the perfect chicken-fried steak, we hit a high standard at a table in the City Cafe. What a beautiful hunk of food! Gnarled and crusty, golden brown with a brittle crust and a thick ribbon of tender meat inside, this was an exemplary steak. Jane ordered the large version, which turned out not to be bigger, but rather, two full-size steaks! On the side were fine mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas and, of course, a bowl full of cream gravy. The first thing you see when you enter is the pie case just below the cash regis ..read more

Al’s is a fabulous destination for travelers in search of culinary color. It is located on the main street of Locke, a forgotten little town in the Sacramento Delta, originally built by and for Chinese Californians. Once famous as an anything-goes enclave of vice, Locke’s weathered wood-frame main street remains a magical sight; and in the middle of it is Al’s Place, thriving since 1934. Several years ago we heard from Patti Spezia, whose father was a good friend of Al Adami, the man who started the place. Patti wrote to say that Al’s place began because another member of the Adami family had ..read more

Blau’s Saukville Meats in Saukville, WI is a carnivore’s delight. It is a full-service butcher shop where you can buy ready-to-grill Wisconsin style brats (bratwurst), freshly made from beef, pork, pork and mustard, buffalo and – perhaps the most delicious of them all – chicken, which drips with juices when severed by a knife. The meat cases are also stocked with firm-fleshed summer sausage, smoked meats, and a wide variety of hand-cut beefsteaks, plus hamburger and stewing meat of all kind. On the non-refrigerated shelves are large supplies of made-on-premises barbecue sauce, Amish jellies a ..read more

The Shack is a good place to know about if you are traveling along I-95 in Connecticut and hunger strikes near Exit 74. One day when we stopped in, the list of available pies included apple crumb, Graham cracker, Boston cream, pumpkin, and coconut cream. Three puddings were on the menu: rice, Grape-Nuts, and bread. The specials were all-you-can-eat pasta, macaroni & cheese, and shepherd’s pie. What to eat at The Shack in East Lyme, CT We ordered that shepherd’s pie, and wow!, it sure was a big hunk of food. The size of a brick, it was layers of chunky ground beef with potatoes and vegetab ..read more

The story of Three Brothers in Milwaukee, WI is a dramatic one. “My father bought this tavern in 1950,” recalls proprietor Branko Radiecevich. “He chose the name Three Brothers in anticipation of his three sons coming to the United States. Alexander, Milutin, and I escaped Yugoslavia in 1956. It was a real reunion; I had not seen my father for fourteen years, when we were separated in a Nazi concentration camp.” Branko’s family restaurant has become a quiet landmark that attracts eaters from all walks of life and all ethnic groups. Accommodations are polite but humble – dine at a bare-top, st ..read more

Wolfy’s sign is a cheap-eats landmark: a giant red hot stabbed with a fork high over Peterson Avenue. At the sign of the frankfurter, you can count on classic Chicago street food, served fast and with plenty of sass. What to eat at Wolfy’s in Chicago, IL The primary meal is an all-beef dog cushioned in a steamed-soft poppy-seed bun. It is available topped with chili or cheese, but such choices are very un-Chicago. In this town, the more typical choice is to smother a hot dog under a wheelbarrow of condiments, i.e. bright yellow mustard, spruce-green piccalilli, full-length pickle spears, slic ..read more

It looks like a diner, and that is what it used to be. But what was once the Blue Dolphin hash house has become a fine Italian ristorante. In other words, this is not the place to come for a grilled cheese sandwich or eggs over easy with hash browns on the side. But if you are looking for fine homemade pasta, fresh seafood, sophisticated salads, and masterful cappuccino in handsome Italian crockery mugs, bring your appetite to Katonah. What to eat at Blue Dolphin in Katonah, NY Come early, or be prepared to wait, because the dining room is tiny with only a handful of tables that always seem t ..read more

Maytag Dairy Farms cheese is among the world’s best blues. It has a crumbly texture that makes it well-suited for salads, and yet it feels moist and creamy on the tongue. It is spicy and deep flavored, and as luxurious as cream. Maytag Blue’s history begins with a herd of prize Holstein cows that E.H. Maytag (the washing machine man) began to develop in 1919. From that herd, the Maytag family began producing cheese using a process developed at Iowa State University. They wanted to create an excellent veined cheese that would store well and be mailable. Today, hundreds of thousands of pounds o ..read more

Mehlman Cafeteria is a great big cafeteria with a small-town feel. It goes back to the 1960s when Mary Mehlman Dietrich opened a small restaurant in the Wheeling, West Virginia WMCA. Today her son Fred runs the show; and although service is brisk and do-it-yourself, as one expects in a cafeteria, you will feel well taken care of. There seem always to be members of the staff to help pour coffee and to assist the elderly carrying trays to tables. What to eat at Mehlman Cafeteria in St. Clairsville, OH What’s on those trays are hearty, heartland square meals: turkey with dressing, stuffed pepper ..read more

Years ago, our South Arizona friend Margaret Bond first took us to La Cabana when we asked her and her husband Paul (the estimable boot maker) where to go in Nogales to get a real Roadfood kind of meal. Margaret walked into the inviting little cantina with us in tow and she was greeted warmly by the staff, who knew her as a regular. Hostess Lupita had a worried look on her face when we sat down around 10:30 in the morning, between breakfast and lunch. Lupita knows what Margaret liked to eat, and she warned us, “The chilies rellenos are not ready yet. Can you wait ten minutes?” Of course we wa ..read more