Boulder Tea House – Boulder, CO
Frank Pepe’s Pizza – New Haven, CT – on the top of most pizza lists in the county. Get the White Clam pizza.
Uncle Willie’s BBQ – West Haven, CT
Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ in Kansas City, KS
Atlantic Seafood Company – Boston, Mass – clam chowder. that’s an order
B&G Oyster House – Boston, Mass – marvelous seafood. wonderful local oysters
Chaps Pit Beef BBQ in Baltimore, MD – pit beef sandwich
Matthew’s Pizza – Baltimore, MD – the crab pizza, and only the crab pizza. Courtesy of David Simon.
Butcher and the Boar – Minneapolis, MN
Lat 14 – Minneapolis, MN – excellent SE Asian food just outside of town
Manny’s Steakhouse – Minneapolis, MN – extra long aged rib eye
Spyhouse Coffee – Minneapolis, MN – great coffee; wonderful pastry; nice scene
Stella’s Fish Cafe – Minneapolis, MN – get the walleye
Bogart’s Smokehouse – St Louis, MS – get the baked beans and the potato salad
Dock’s Oyster House – Atlantic City, NJ
Sazon Latino – Boonton, NJ – amazing ribs. Killer buffet. Closed on Sundays.
Joe’s Meat Market – S. Bound Brook, NJ
Blue Claw Crab Shack – Burlington, NJ – buffalo garlic scallops and King Crab legs
Tony D’s Pizza – Caldwell NJ – the grandma’s pizza is stunning
Bruno’s Pizza – Clifton, NJ – regarded as the second best Sicilian in NJ
Vesta Pizza – East Rutherford, NJ
Bawarchi Biryanis – Edison, NJ – excellent curry. no ice for water. legit heat in food. great chicken appetizers
Santillo’s Pizza – Elizabeth, NJ – regarded as one of the best pizza joints in the USA
Brooklyn Square Pizza – Jackson, NJ – won the #1 spot in the 2017 NJ pizza contest. Amazing sicilian
Liberty Hall Pizza – Lambertville, NJ – probably my favorite Martguerita pizza
Lombardi Pizza Co – Martinsville, NJ – the Zoe pizza
Rod’s Seafood and Grill – Morristown, NJ – lobster bisque and the Delmonico steak
Dinosaur BBQ – Newark, NJ – fried green onions and their ribs
Hobby’s Deli – Newark, NJ – onion rings and the pastrami sandwich
Destination Dogs – New Brunswick, NJ – potatoes ridiculadas
Star Tavern – Orange, NJ – plain pizza
Bollywood Grill – Parsippany, NJ – Kahti roll with egg. The place serves Indian street food.
Bonchan – Parsippany, NJ – the king of Korean Fried Chicken. Amazing drumsticks. Incredible wings. The spicy is the only way to go. Half a dozen of my friends are completely hooked. It’s a chain, so find the nearest one and go there.
Garibaldi Peru-Mex – Parisippany, NJ – easily my favorite Mexican food in NJ
Surf Taco – Red Bank, NJ – get the Surf Taco and the Mahi Taco, Baja-style
DeLorenzo’s Pizza – Robbinsville, NJ
Papa’s Tomato Pies – Robbinsville, NJ – It’s better than DeLorenzo’s
Ale and Oyster – Albany, NY – get the cheese plate appetizer
Primal – Albany, NY – excellent sandwiches; they also sell fantastic dip; maybe my favorite butcher anywhere
Jagerberg – Hunter, NY – great German food. Not open every day. Sigh.
Badshah Modern Indian – NYC, NY
Keen’s Steakhouse – NYC, NY – get the muttonchop
Phoenicia Diner – Phoenicia, NY – a good spot to eat after hiking in the Catskills
Bluestone Roasting Company – Saugerties, NY – a great cup of coffee
Miss Lucy’s Kitchen – Saugerties, NY – nice takes on American staples (roast chicken, baked salmon)
Rock Da Casbah – Saugerties, NY – excellent mac and cheese
Sante Fe – Woodstock, NY – a hipster take on Mexican food. The lobster quesadilla and pulled chicken burrito are the correct choices.
Schmidt’s – Columbus, OH – German potato salad and the Bavarian creme puff
Pastorante – Harrisburg, PA – Incredible home-made pastas. Wonderful mac and cheese. Combine this with a trip up the block to Midtown Scholar, one of the best used bookstores in the country.
Devon Seafood and Steak – Hershey, PA
Chalit’s Thai Bistro – Mechanicsburg, PA – Incredible Thai food at a spot that seems a bit remote. Great noodles, curries, and rice.
Butcher Bar – Philadelphia, PA – everything I’ve had there is great. Really impressive meat menu. Just wow.
Federal Donuts – Philadelphia, PA – the chain that got me on Korean Fried Chicken. Their chicken breast sandwich is fantastic.
Percy Street BBQ – Philadelphia, PA
Au Pied de Cochon – Montreal, QC – amazing French food tucked in a hidden spot
Au Kouign Amann – Montreal, QC – regular croissants, the almond croissant, and the kouign amann
Cafe Gitana Accueil – a hookah lounge. I don’t smoke hookah, but the atmosphere is great for cigars and they have excellent Turkish teas
Sweet P’s BBQ in Knoxville, TN – wings, banana pudding and the ribs
Loveless Cafe – Nashville, TN – biscuits
Gourdough’s Donuts – Austin, TX
Texas Pride – San Antonio, TX – excellent fatty brisket and the best pecan cobbler I’ve ever had
Devil’s Backbone BBQ – Roseland, VA – wings. dipper. ribs.
Taylor’s Shellfish Oyster Bar – Seattle, WA
Zoka Coffee – Seattle, WA – the finest cup of coffee I’ve ever had
Bavette La Boucherie – Milwaukee, WI – get the cheese and meat plates