Good Eats in the USA
In case you haven’t seen it, Matt Gross (a.k.a. the Frugal Traveler columnist for the New York Times) has been traveling across the USA in search of the best places to eat and drink. Matt has uncovered a few gems, and whetted my appetite for a USA road trip of my own.
He’s also making me hungry. Very hungry. And in the spirit of sharing good places to eat and drink, I am nominating my own Top 3 USA Favorites. Choosing just three is not easy, but rather than worry too much about it, I’ve focused on three places that are simply too goo not to be on the list.
If you, too, feel like sharing, simply leave a comment below with one or two of your favorite places to eat or drink. Either in your hometown or in an exotic foreign location. It doesn’t matter. Quality eats are quality eats, no matter where they’re located. (Speaking of location, I’ve never been to the Sounds of Silence outdoor restaurant in Ayers Rock / Uluru, Australia, so I can’t add it to my list below. Maybe I need a new list of top 3 restaurants I’ve never been to… I’ll save that for a different day.) In the meantime, 3 of my top food favorites in the USA, in no particular order.
Scott’s Top 3 Food Favorites
- Curtis’ Barbecue in Putney, Vermont. Curtis barbecues his own pork, beef and chicken in the back of a converted school bus. No joke — there are some great photos on the website. We stopped here on the way to a friend’s wedding and, after my first slab of ribs and second ear of corn, I nearly cried when I had to get back in the car and drive away. I still have a sauce-stained postcard that proclaims Curtis’ as the “9th wonder of the world.” Not sure what #8 is, but I will not argue.
- Uglesich’s in New Orleans, Louisiana. I haven’t been since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. But I have friends who’ve told me that Uglesich’s is as good as it ever was. And “good” is an understatement. This place is always crowded with a mix of locals and tourists — it’s lunch only, so get here early for fresh oysters, fried oysters, Voodoo shrimp and shrimp creole.
- Shalimar in San Francisco, California. This is a hometown favorite. If you like Indian food you will love Shalimar, it’s as simple as that. This isn’t the cleanest or nicest or most fancy place in town. Far from it. But the food is authentic, spicy and cheap. If you can’t handle Shalimar’s perfection, there’s a close runner-up diagonally across the street called Pakwan.
What’s on your list of food favorites?
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