Since the year 2006 I have been traveling solo to a different state each year. At roadside stands I've munched caramel apples in Rhode Island, pepperoni roll-ups in West Virginia and boiled peanuts in Florida. In coffee shops, cafes and restaurants I've feasted on maple-bacon donuts in Maine, fried okra in Tennessee and sopapilla burgers in New Mexico. I've enjoyed craft brewery beers in Vermont and fresh-baked pies in Iowa.
America's great multi-cultural heritage is reflected in our food. We love growing it, creating culinary delights, and even fusing one ethnicity to another—think Asian/Tex-Mex.
Brew a cup of tea or pour a glass of wine, then travel along with me to discover the eateries and food which make America great, and strong.
WYOMING:
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| After driving 40 miles from the nearest town, the chili and milkshakes at The Chugwater Soda Fountain were most welcoming. |
FLORIDA:
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| Cypress Corner Market, Apalachicola, Florida. I can vouch for the Tupelo honey. The boiled peanuts? Not so much. |
LOUISIANA:
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| This Ponchatoula eatery is THE place for strawberry beignets. Never had a beignet? Read all about it here. |
IOWA:
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| The Dinky Diner—yes, that's it's name—in Decatur City. The turkey melt sandwich and the ginger bar dessert (for $8.00) offered comfort food on a rainy evening. |
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| You just know by looking at the crowd outside that this is going to be good. I had a slice of peanut butter pie (heavenly) at this Amish bakery. |
WEST VIRGINIA:
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| Pepperoni cheese roll-ups are a West Virginia specialty. The roll-ups I had at Ken Dee's Hot Dog stand were out-of-this-world good. |
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| The Ferguson Tea Room in Hurricane offers afternoon High Tea. |
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| My High Tea luncheon consisted of a pot of raspberry tea, with tomato basil mini sandwiches, lemon scones with poppy seed icing and a pecan tassie (pecan pie in a small cup). |
RHODE ISLAND:
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| Breakfast tray delivered to my room at The Harmony House Farm B&B in Little Compton. |
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| This Pleasant View Orchards farm stand near Spragueville provided me with the best caramel apple I've ever eaten. |
NEW MEXICO:
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| A sopapilla burger and killer hot sauce at Casa de Benavidez in Albuquerque. |
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| Breakfast at the Gold Street Caffee in Albuquerque. A three-egg omelet filled with salsa, cheese and red-chili bacon. |
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| Dinner at the Resort at Cloudcroft. I started with roasted jalapeño acorn squash soup accompanied by a pomegranate margarita. Need I say more? |
VERMONT:
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| The Capitol Grounds Cafe in Montpelier celebrates "The Lone Ranger" with Johnny Depp. I had the egg and sausage sandwich on Red Hen bread—a white/wheat mix from a local bakery. The delectable sausage is also locally sourced from Tangletown Farm where they "ethically raise meats". |
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| The Tulsi Tea Room in Montpelier. Mint iced tea, curry bowl-of-the-day, matchstick carrots in an olive oil, cilantro masala sauce. Oh, and a molasses-ginger cookie for dessert. |
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| In Vermont there's a maple syrup stand on every highway and byway. At this stand I ordered not maple syrup but, wait for it...a cup of maple lemonade. |
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| These crazy Russian girls were, indeed, crazy. They would have to be to offer the cookie, below. |
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| What's a "Better than Brad Pitt" cookie? It's a double chocolate delight. I had to eat one. And you know what? I agree. Sorry Brad, I'd rather have this cookie! . Yes, it was that good. |
TENNESSEE:
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| If you suspect your arteries of being even a teensy bit clogged, DO NOT EAT at this restaurant! My dinner: fried okra, fried catfish, fried hush puppies, and, yes, fried corn-on-the-cob. |
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| I wasn't going to stop at this lonely shack in the town of Moscow in south-central Tennessee. I drove right by but then turned around. A tiny, weathered, silver-haired lady took my order for a barbecue sandwich. Want cole slaw on that? Sure. Hot sauce? Sure. And four dollars and a few minutes later I had a barbecue sandwich to die for. |
COLORADO:
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| Orchard Valley Farms in Paonia. This tidy little stand offered a few great finds: artisinal farmstead cheese, local honey and wine. |
MAINE:
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| Congdon's Donuts in Wells. A maple cream and a powdered donut, a butter-crunch donut hole and fresh hot coffee. What's not to like? |
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| The lazy lobster (already picked from the shell) meal at Billy's Chowder House in Wells. Delicious. The lobster tasted fresh-caught, the potato tasted fresh-dug, and the green beans tasted fresh-picked. Can't beat that. |
To my American readers (and maybe my international readers as well)—are you dismayed by the events of last week? Overjoyed? I don't believe we can count on politicians to "fix" things for us.
But remember this: We'll always have pie.
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| Pie is served all day at the Little Switzerland Bakery in McGregor, Iowa. |
